Japan fishermen, locals seek halt to treated Fukushima water release with lawsuit
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Fishermen unloading seafood caught at Matsukawaura port, about a week after Japan began discharging treated wastewater.
PHOTO: AFP
Tokyo – Around 100 fishermen and locals living near Fukushima will file a lawsuit this week seeking to stop the ongoing release of treated water from the stricken Japanese nuclear plant
Twelve years after one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents, Japan began releasing treated cooling water from the facility into the Pacific Ocean on Aug 24.
Many Japanese fishermen have been against the release, fearing that it will undo years of efforts to improve the industry’s image in the wake of the 2011 catastrophe.
More than 100 plaintiffs, including fishermen in Fukushima and neighbouring prefectures, will file the lawsuit in the Fukushima District Court on Friday, Ms Sugie Tanji, a member of the group’s secretariat, said on Monday.
“The government failed to keep to its promise of gaining agreement from fishermen before taking such a decision to release,” she said.
“This is a wrong policy as it ignores strong opposition from not only the Fukushima fishermen’s cooperative but also from cooperatives across the country,” the group said in a statement.
“The release to the ocean can never be tolerated as it brings about further suffering to victims of the nuclear accident,” it added.
The release has generated a fierce backlash from China , including a blanket ban of Japanese seafood imports.
Japanese government officials have made efforts to appeal to the public that the action has little impact on health or safety issues.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the United States envoy to Japan, Mr Rahm Emanuel, among others, ate Fukushima fish in front of TV cameras last week.
Mr Kishida on Monday said the government will allocate an additional 20.7 billion yen (S$191.5 million) to support the fisheries industry after China’s total import ban of Japanese aquatic products.
The government previously set up two funds worth 80 billion yen to help develop new markets and keep excess fish frozen until they can be sold when demand recovers, among other measures.
With the additional funding, from budget reserves, support would total 100.7 billion yen, Mr Kishida said.
Japan has repeatedly insisted the water has been treated and is harmless, a position backed by United Nations atomic watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In total, plant operator Tepco plans to release around 540 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water over the next several decades. AFP
