Recently the Japanese government has made a decision to release the chemically treated water from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant back into the Pacific Ocean. After hearing this news, the Chinese government has set bans on all seafood imports coming from Japan. Citing their reasons as safety concerns for their citizens. Along with the ban, citizens of China have been harassing and boycotting the country of Japan.
But what has led up to all of this to happen? Let’s find out.
The root of this problem dates back to March 11th, 2011 when the Tōhoku region of Japan suffered an immense earthquake and tsunami. The earthquake would peak at a magnitude of 9.1 out of 10 on the Richter scale. This would directly lead to the spawning of a 130-foot tsunami. The Fukushima Nuclear Plant, being located on the eastern coastline of Japan, made it a prime target for the tsunami and earthquake attacks. The damage done to the nuclear plant would be catastrophic as the waves from the tsunami would cause the three nuclear reactor cores in the plant to melt, leading to radiation coursing through the environment and the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Ranked a 7 out of 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, this incident would compare with the likes of Chernobyl.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has been the main contributor to the cleanup of the Fukushima area. They would be the ones that treated and stored the radioactive water until its release. Rounding out to the present, the Japanese government gained permission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with surveillance from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to release the treated water back into the ocean earlier this month.
The current plan is to send over a million tons of water into the ocean over the next 30 years according to the BBC. With that being done, the Chinese government would then ensue a ban on all seafood imports from Japan, citing this as a way to “protect the health of Chinese consumers”. This is a huge loss for the Japanese economy as China is their largest buyer of seafood products. According to CNN, an astounding $942.4 million was made from Chinese exports and another $432.3 million from Hong Kong exports last year. The ban has led Chinese citizens and media outlets to berate Japan, leading to mobs boycotting the water release. Reports from AP News, say the Japanese government has been subject to harassment from Chinese citizens in a multitude of ways. Following this, the Japanese government has released statements to China asking them to restrain their citizens from these harmful actions.
Luckily for Japan, studies have shown that the water is non-threatening to any life in the ocean, but that doesn’t mean China will appeal this ban anytime soon. Japan is in a tough predicament as on the one hand they have the cured water, which is now waiting to be released, but on the other hand, doing so will prolong the Chinese ban on their seafood, leading to millions lost in exports. There is some hope for Japan as they are seeking action from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to act upon this ban, according to Reuters.
Amidst all of this controversy, China has been accused of being hypocrites as they have been releasing nuclear wastewater with tritium according to the Guardian. The water had a large amount of tritium, which is very dangerous in large quantities as it is a carcinogen. As this situation is ramping up, hopefully, both sides can resolve this problem soon.