Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave final approval Tuesday to begin a plan for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to release treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean as early as Thursday. At a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Kishida described the controversial move as an important step in the plant decommissioning and in…
Japanese government officials sought understanding from fisheries groups Monday for the impending release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea and pledged to support their livelihoods throughout the process that will take decades. Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura met with the head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and promised that the government is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of the release and prepared measures to protect the fisheries industry's reputation. Nishimura told the fisheries official, Masanobu Sakamoto, that the water release is essential for the plant decommissioning and Fukushima's recovery and can't be postponed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant Sunday as the Japanese government prepares to release treated radioactive water stored at the facility into the sea, amid opposition from fishermen and some neighboring countries.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will visit the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday before setting a release date for its treated radioactive wastewater, as his government continues working to promote understanding over the controversial plan at home and abroad. “The government has reached the final stage where we should make a decision," Kishida told reporters in Washington on Friday after wrapping up his summit with U.S. and South Korean leaders at the American presidential retreat of Camp David. Since the government announced the release plan two years ago, it has faced strong opposition from Japanese fishing organizations, which worry about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as they struggle to recover from the accident.
The Pacific fishing industry, stressed from climate change and overfishing, does not need additional challenges. Amid concerns about marine life and food safety, Tokyo should apply the precautionary principle.