![]() According to government figures cited by CNN, catches by Fukushima’s coastal fishing industry plummeted from $69 million in 2010 to $17 million in 2018 and $26 million in 2022. As a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the fishing industry in these areas has already suffered substantially, with many countries banning or restricting seafood imports from those places. The planned wastewater will also damage the reputation of the fishing industry – and the livelihoods of those involved in it – in Japan, China, and Hong Kong. “We need to be aware of the difference between tritium and carbon-14, on the one hand, and the radioactive fission products which tend to remain in the human body.” Photo: IAEA. “Nobody wants to dump (radioactive substances) into the ocean,” said David Krofcheck, a scientist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Due to the possibility of radioactive materials accumulating inside fish and other marine organisms, the wastewater will also have an impact on the marine ecosystem, biodiversity, and food chain. “Before implementing any unilateral action that may have an influence on other nations, Japan must comply with its international legal obligations and seek authorisation from relevant international bodies.”ĭespite guarantees and assurances that the waste water will be purified and diluted, it still contains radioactive elements like tritium, which can adversely affect both humans and animals by inducing cancer, genetic abnormalities, and birth defects. “China has expressed grave concern to the Japanese side through diplomatic channels,” Zhao said. Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, accused Japan of acting recklessly and disregarding the health and safety of Chinese nationals as well as the global community’s interests. “It is by no means a responsible state action.” Secretary for the Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan (middle). ![]() ![]() “ is violating its international legal obligations and endangering the marine environment and public health,” Tse added. Japan should re-evaluate its strategy, reassess its plan and engage in communication and collaboration with neighbouring countries and stakeholders on solutions to the nuclear wastewater issue.Īccording to Hong Kong’s Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan, the decision to discharge the wastewater without seeking approval or consent from other nations breaches both the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Japan must abandon its reckless proposal to discharge Fukushima waste water into the ocean - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP Close ![]()
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