Toxic water release plan stokes real-life Godzilla fears

TOKYO — Despite ongoing opposition from both home and abroad, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, raising growing anger and stoking real-life Godzilla fears among the international community.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, the plant's operator, began trial operations for the equipment discharging the nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific on June 12. The test run of the discharge facility is expected to finish on Monday. The nuclear wastewater release led by the Japanese government seems to have entered a countdown.

While the radioactive 50-meter-tall Godzilla depicted in one of the highest-grossing films may be fictional, symbolizing the consequences of underwater nuclear tests, the Japanese government's reckless discharge, likewise disastrous, is evoking fears that the allegory of humankind's wrongdoings will come true.

"Nuclear-contaminated water must not be discharged into the sea. It is a crime, a crime against all living things on earth!" shouted Tatsuko Okawara outside the Fukushima Prefectural Government Office, where a mass rally was held last week to voice strong opposition to the wastewater dumping move.

"The mountains and rivers will never return to the past, and the radiation will not disappear easily. But this country puts making money first compared to life and love," the Fukushima resident recited a line from a puppet show she created.

Among the nearly 100 protesters who gathered for parades, rallies and petitions on Tuesday was Chiyo Oda, one of the rally's organizers and co-representative of Koreumi, a Japanese citizens' conference to condemn further ocean pollution.

"The government says every day that the trial operation will end soon, making everyone feel that the ocean discharge is a fact, and wants us to give up. But it is wrong to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and there are still places for the water storage tanks, so it has not reached the point where it must be discharged," she told Xinhua News Agency.

Countries in the region have also expressed their vehement opposition to the discharge plan.

In South Korea, thousands of fishermen took to the streets to protest against Japan's disposal plan on June 12, when the test run of the discharge facility started.

During the 53rd regular UN Human Rights Council session on Thursday, a Chinese representative urged Japan to earnestly address the international community's legitimate concerns. The representative emphasized that Japan's unilateral decision violates its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Japan has yet to provide convincing evidence regarding the discharge's safety.

A statement issued by the Pacific Islands Forum on Tuesday confirmed the second technical dialogue on Fukushima wastewater was held on June 9 between PIF independent scientific experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

XINHUA