We’re almost there. The day after tomorrow, Thursday, will begin complex and super-controlled procedures that will see radioactive water contained in the tanks of the Fukushima nuclear power plant devastated by the March disaster twelve years ago, spilled into the sea. The final decision was made by Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida after examining the decommissioned power plant last Sunday and meeting with local fishermen’s associations.
The first authorization for the procedure was given by Kishida’s predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, in April 2021. The controversy has been escalating for months. The Tokyo government’s decision has been met with opposition from neighboring countries, primarily China, which has banned some food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, and from the local fishing industry, who are concerned about the reputation of the products in the region.
The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said that by July, about 1,000 tanks at the site were at 98 percent of their capacity. After lengthy evaluation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) determined that the Japanese executive’s plan complied with global safety standards and had “negligible radiological impact on humans and the environment.” The agency said it will be onsite at the facility during the review and will release data to be shared with the global community, including real-time monitoring of findings. Japan’s prime minister announced that Japan will continue to communicate the plan to residents and the international community with a “high level of transparency”, minimizing any damage to the region’s reputation.
Many European countries (including Italy) have lifted restrictions on food imports from Japan, but China has once again launched extensive radiation tests on fish products from the neighboring country, further exacerbating diplomatic tensions with Tokyo that have never fully subsided.
Hong Kong governor John Lee has instructed his government to impose “immediate” cuts on imports of some Japanese food products, following Tokyo’s decision to start offshore procedures on Thursday. “Food safety and public health are top priorities for the Hong Kong government,” Lee wrote on social media. “I immediately instructed the relevant government departments to activate their import control measures.”
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
