Frequent leaks and opaque handling have significantly damaged Japan's reputation since the Fukushima dumping site was one year old

South Korean environmental activists hold a rally near the Japanese Embassy building in Seoul, South Korea, on August 21, 2024, to demand that Japan stop discharging nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. August 24 marks the first anniversary of Japan's controversial nuclear waste discharge. Photo: VCG

Despite widespread opposition, Japan began discharging nuclear wastewater into the sea a year ago. So far, around 60,000 tonnes of water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been discharged as part of the 30-year program to discharge around one million tonnes of nuclear wastewater into the sea.

The relentless oil production, frequent oil leaks and opaque handling of the situation over the past year have severely damaged the reputation of TEPCO and the Japanese government, undermined public confidence and sparked a far greater backlash, observers say.

Last year, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) released 60,000 tons of treated water from its damaged Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, Asahi Shimbun reported on Saturday.

One day before the first anniversary, which fell on a Saturday, the Japanese National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations reiterated its continued opposition to the dumping.

In the event of a major accident or other problems in the future, the trust and understanding built up among fishermen and the public could be lost in an instant, the group said. Local media reported that the Japanese government and TEPCO should definitely take this into account.

The disposal of the contaminated water led to numerous countries, including China and Russia, stopping their imports of seafood from Japan.

Last year, Japan called on those countries to lift the ban, citing data that met international standards from contaminated water treated with ALPS, the Advanced Liquid Processing System that treats Fukushima water before it is discharged.

In response to Japan's call to ease seafood import restrictions, the Environment and Ecology Office of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said on Facebook on Saturday that given the unprecedented duration and scale of the oil spill discharge, as well as the potential catastrophic consequences for marine ecology and food safety if any mistakes are made, Hong Kong has taken preventive measures, including restricting imports of seafood and related products from Japan's high-risk areas.

Over the past year, several incidents have occurred related to the Fukushima nuclear power plant, with seven cases reported in the media. These include accidents requiring hospitalization of employees and pollution of the surrounding environment. The most recent incident occurred just two weeks ago, and on average, one incident occurs about every two months. Given Japan's management and supervision capabilities over the Fukushima nuclear power plant and the serious consequences that could result in the future, it is necessary and scientific for Hong Kong to take practical measures to prevent this, the office said.

“If the situation worsens, it cannot be ruled out that further measures may be necessary to strengthen the protection of food safety in Hong Kong,” the office said.

In South Korea, opponents of the dumping held a press conference outside the country's National Assembly on Thursday to commemorate the first anniversary of Japan's discharge of contaminated water, South Korean media reported.

In Japan, Japanese broadcaster NHK aired a special prime-time documentary on Saturday aimed at restoring the reputation of Japanese seafood, said Chang Yen-chiang, director of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea Research Institute at Dalian Maritime University, who arrived in Fukushima on Saturday for international meetings against the water discharge.

Nevertheless, opposition voices are growing across the country. Protests calling for an end to waste disposal took place on Saturday in several cities and prefectures, including Tokyo and Fukushima.

“The ocean is the source of all life. We cannot just dump radioactive substances into it as humanity would prefer. Moreover, the sea creatures cannot raise their voices. Only we humans can raise our voices and protest against this!” a representative of the Japanese environmental NGO “Don't Contaminate the Oceans Anymore! Citizens' Council” told the Global Times.

The water discharge has also led to a lawsuit against the government and TEPCO, Chiyo Oda, one of the representatives of the plaintiff group, told Global Times.

The 363 plaintiffs, including both workers in the fishing industry and ordinary citizens, claim, according to the representative, that the controversial waste disposal has disrupted their livelihoods and is damaging their health.

In addition, opponents of dumping from South Korea are calling for the formation of a coalition with other countries to file an international lawsuit against Japan, South Korean media reported.