Cute cartoon character fails to sell Japan's Fukushima water plan

The character called Tritium has been scrapped within just a day, with an apology issued. PHOTO: SIMONAHAC/TWITTER

TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - Amid criticism at home and abroad over plans to release treated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, Japan's officials turned to a familiar playbook: Use a cute character to explain the safety of the move.

Within just a day, the big-nosed, tadpole-like character called Tritium - which looks a bit like a Pokemon and is named after the radioactive element that the government plans to dilute and release into the ocean - was scrapped and an apology issued.

As part of promotional material released after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that Japan would begin releasing more than a million cubic m of water into the ocean in two years, the character was intended to explain to locals that the water is not hazardous.

But after a wave of criticism on social media and in Parliament, the Reconstruction Agency said on Wednesday (April 14) it would temporarily retire and redesign the character.

The episode highlights the struggles that Tokyo faces in convincing not just its neighbours but also its own people that it can safely release the tritium-tainted water into the ocean. Some 57 per cent of Fukushima prefecture residents oppose the release, according to a poll from February.

The move has also been loudly criticised by China, South Korea and Taiwan.

These kinds of comic characters, known as "yuru-chara", are used all across Japan as mascots for everything ranging from regional sports teams to the police force.

Tepco, the utility at the centre of the Fukushima disaster, starting using a chubby bunny as its mascot in 2018 to help rehabilitate its image.

Tritium is a form of hydrogen that has two extra neutrons, making it weakly radioactive. It is naturally produced in the upper atmosphere and is also a common by-product of nuclear power generation.

It is a common and safe practice for the world's nuclear power plants to discharge small amounts of tritium and other radioactive material into rivers and oceans, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

SPH Brightcove Video
The decision by the Japanese government to release diluted water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the sea is being met with skepticism and worry by some dependent on the waters for their livelihoods.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.