Japan Prime Minister: No Change to Release Plans for Fukushima Treated Water
16:05 JST, August 8, 2023
There is “no change,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said, to the government’s plan to begin discharging treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean around this summer.
The government is making arrangements to start releasing the water as early as late this month. Kishida plans to meet with Masanobu Sakamoto, leader of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (Zengyoren), ahead of the discharge and directly seek his organization’s understanding.
“Our relationship of trust with the fishing industry is gradually deepening,” Kishida said to reporters in Tokyo on Monday. “The entire government will continue to work to carefully explain how safety is being ensured and the measures to be taken against false rumors.”
Concerned about damage to the reputation of Japan’s fisheries industry, Zengyoren opposes discharging the water from the nuclear power plant managed by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. into the ocean. Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and other officials have met with Sakamoto and others form the local fishing industry multiple times to explain the safety of the treated water based on scientific evidence.
In case harmful rumors affect the industry, the government has established a fund totaling approximately ¥80 billion to be used for the purchase of fishery products, the development of sales channels and support for fishing vessels’ fuel costs.
Kishida is expected to make a final decision on the specific timing of the discharge after returning from a trilateral summit of Japan, the United States and South Korea slated to be held in the United States on Aug. 18.
During the U.S. visit, Kishida plans to hold bilateral meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to seek their understanding for the ocean discharge based on the comprehensive report from the International Atomic Energy Agency that acknowledged the plan’s validity.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
-
Japan, U.S., S. Korea Coast Guards Sign Pledge to Strengthen Cooperation
-
China Firm ‘Developed System to Manipulate Public Opinion’; Leaked Information Describes Hijacking Social Media Accounts (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s Opposition Party CDPJ Sweeps 3 By-Elections in Lower House (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s LDP Battles to Avoid ‘Total Defeat’ in By-Elections; Opposition Party Guards against Overconfidence
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- Japanese Seafood Exports to China Sink 57% in FY23; U.S. Becomes Largest Seafood Export Destination
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- 48.6% of Global Patent Applications Related to All-Solid-State Batteries Came from Japanese Firms; Panasonic Tops List
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’