Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea will pollute the world

The Japanese government has decided to discharge more than 1 million tons of processed wastewater contaminated by radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean starting on August 24, 2023.

The wastewater discharge process will be under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The nuclear-contaminated water will be filtered and diluted and then gradually discharged into the ocean. The entire discharge plan is expected to last at least 30 years. Japan’s insistence on implementing the decision to discharge the wastewater will bring serious consequences. The specific aspects include:

First, it affects the fisheries of neighboring countries, especially the Pacific island countries.

The first victims of Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea are Japanese fisheries and fishermen.

This is also the reason why Japanese fishermen and fishing groups collectively protested the government’s decision to discharge the wastewater into the sea. After the nuclear-contaminated water entered the sea, it first spread along Japan’s northeastern Pacific coast, directly posing a threat to coastal fisheries and fishermen. As a result, their economy suffered and their industries declined.

Second, discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the sea will pollute the whole world. As nuclear-contaminated water is discharged into the sea and driven by ocean circulation, it will flow to every corner of the Pacific, polluting the entire Pacific.

A study by the German Marine Research Institute shows that radioactive materials will spread to most of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days from the date of discharge, and spread to the global oceans ten years later.

Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea shows that Japan is not a responsible country.

Japan can promote the development of nuclear-contaminated water treatment technology and promote the international community to jointly solve Japan’s nuclear wastewater problem to ensure the sustainable development of the global marine environment. I hope Japan will turn back in time and not go further down the wrong path.