Wastewater release from Fukushima nuclear power plant begins, what are details?

동일본대지진 후 12년만 日 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 해양 방류 시작 The site of a nuclear disaster that’s still at the epicenter of a contentious issue. In March 2011, a 9-point-zero magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s eastern coast triggered a major tsunami in 2011. This sparked a major disaster --a nuclear meltdown, as the wave caused the nuclear fuel in three of the reactors to overheat and melt down. As a result, Japan had been storing about 1-point-3 million tons of treated water in approximately one thousand tanks. But now it has begun discharging radioactive water after a treatment process --though many are still not hundred percent sure if it is going to be safe. What are the details of Japan’s plan and how are other countries reacting to this? For this we invite Jake Adelstein, a Tokyo-based journalist. Welcome, Jake. We also have Doctor Choi Eunmi, Research Fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Good to see you, Doctor Choi. (ADELSTEIN) Q1. Japan eventually initiated the discharge of contaminated water on August 24th at 1 PM. This process is expected to span more than three decades. Could you first give us the details of Tokyo’s discharge plan? (ADELSTEIN) Q2. How are people in Japan reacting to the decision? (ADELSTEIN) Q3. Japan reportedly has allocated 80 billion yen to cope with any damage and help fishermen carry on with their business. Could you give us details of this compensation plan and do you believe such compensation will be able to appease local fishermen and those related to the seafood industry? (CHOI) Q4. Before we get to other countries’ responses to the discharge, let’s talk about the timing. Is there any reason for Japan’s decision to release the wastewater soon after the Camp David Trilateral Summit? (CHOI/EXTRA) Q5. Washington has been showing strong support to Japan, with State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller saying that the U.S. is happy with the level of transparency Japan has shown. Could there be any political reason behind such support? (ADELSTEIN) Q6. Yet, China is showing strong opposition and dissatisfaction. Once the biggest buyer of seafood from Japan, China on Thursday said it would block all such imports. Could you give us more details on China’s reaction? (CHOI) Q7. Tokyo’s relationship with Beijing had already deteriorated in recent years as it drew closer to the U.S., and it seems Sino-Japanese ties be further damaged. What impact would this have on the two countries’ ties, and of course, on public sentiment? (CHOI) Q8. During a UNSC meeting held on Friday to discuss Pyongyang’s latest satellite launch, the regime’s ambassador to the UN condemned Japan saying the release is a heinous crime against mankind and the environment. Could we say the regime’s criticism is to redirect the world’s attention from the regime to Tokyo? (CHOI) Q9. Seoul and Tokyo agreed that the Japanese government would provide Korea with real-time data and Korean experts would be allowed to make regular visits to the IAEA field office in Fukushima for monitoring. Some however say such an agreement is less than what South Korea originally expected. What’s your view on this and what could be the reason for making such an agreement? (CHOI) Q10. Over the weekend, thousands of people rallied in Seoul, protesting Japan’s decision to release the radioactive water. This was done with lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Could such a strong opposition in any way affect Seoul-Tokyo ties? (ADELSTEIN) Q11. Japan’s fisheries agency and Environment ministry have done tests to find out the levels of the radioactive isotope tritium. How were the results? (CHOI/EXTRA) Q12. Though they say there are no detectable levels of the radioactive isotope tritium, do you believe such results could affect neighboring countries’ concerns? Is there any possibility the discharge could be halted due to other countries’ concerns? (ADELSTEIN) Q13. What is concerning is that not even Japan knows when this will be completed as rainwater and groundwater coming into contact with radioactive debris generates new wastewater every day. Does Japan also have such concerns? (CHOI) Q14. The release of the wastewater just started but it seems this issue is going to be controversial for a long time. How should Japan deal with this issue to keep the environment safe and not to sour diplomatic ties with neighboring countries? Unfortunately, this is all the time we have for today’s edition. Thank you Mr. Adelstein and Doctor Choi for your insights. We appreciate it. #Japan #Fukushima #Waste_water #Release #일본 #후쿠시마 #오염수 #방류 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-08-28, 18:30 (KST)