Chen Xiaodong
For some time, the international community has been questioning and opposing the discharge of contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant.
However, the government of Japan has closed its eyes and ears and is bent on having its own way, intending to forcibly start the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea in the near future, thereby transferring the risk of nuclear contamination to all humankind.
This is an extremely irresponsible act that risks universal condemnation. First, Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is detrimental to the interests of all mankind. It is an adventure without precedent and full of uncertainties.
Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant has generated more than 1.3 million tons of nuclear-contaminated water, and, according to the data released by the Japanese side, about 70% of the nuclear-contaminated water treated by its Advanced Level Processing System did not meet the discharge standards.
About 100 tons of additional nuclear-contaminated water is generated every day, and the time of sea discharge will be up to 30 years or even longer, which threatens the right to life and health of human beings, the marine ecosystem and biodiversity.
South African Professor Mammo Muchie, from the Tshwane University of Technology, believed that discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is a major issue concerning the global marine environment and public health. In the long run, this will be a devastating blow to South Africa’s ocean environment and fishing industry.
Sea discharge is not the only option for disposal of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, nor is it the safest and most optimised means of disposal, but rather it is the option that has the lowest economic cost for Japan, but highest radioactive contamination for the global environment.
Japan’s choice of discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the sea on the basis of economic costs is an irresponsible act that jeopardises the interests of all humankind for its own selfish interests.
Second, Japan has violated its obligations under international law by forcibly dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. The protection of the global marine environment is the common responsibility of the international community and an obligation under international law.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea clearly stipulates that States shall take all necessary measures to ensure that activities under their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage by pollution to other States and their environment, and that pollution resulting from incidents or activities under their jurisdiction or control does not extend beyond the areas in which they exercise their sovereign rights in accordance with the Convention.
As a State party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the London Convention on Dumping, the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Japan has grossly violated its obligations under international law by forcibly pushing for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.
Third, the report by an international organisation is by no means an endorsement for Japan’s ocean discharge plan. Japan is attempting to garner support from other countries and international organisations to validate its discharge plan, citing the assessment report on the ocean discharge of contaminated water submitted by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
However, the IAEA is not the appropriate organisation to assess the long-term impacts of nuclear-contaminated water on marine environments and biological health.
Due to its limited mandate, the IAEA did not review the legitimacy of the discharge plan, evaluate the long term effectiveness of Japan’s purification system, or verify the accuracy of the data on radioactive water.
The conclusions drawn from the report have significant limitations and are one-sided.
The director-general of the IAEA has stated that the agency would not endorse any country’s ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated water. Therefore, the IAEA report does not grant permission for Japan’s ocean discharge plan.
Forth, the international community has expressed concerns regarding Japan’s ocean discharge plan. Japan has failed to engage in sufficient consultations with the international community, especially with the parties directly affected.
The Japanese government unilaterally announced its decision to proceed with the ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated water in April 2021 and formally approved the discharge plan in July 2022, disregarding opposition from the international community, particularly neighbouring countries.
Furthermore, Japan has repeatedly emphasised that it would not postpone the plan, showing extreme arrogance on the part of Japan.
Following the announcement of the discharge decision, there has been protests from the Japanese public. The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations unanimously passed a special resolution opposing the plan.
According to a survey conducted by the University of Tokyo among 3 000 residents from 10 countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas, concerns about the safety of Fukushima food were widely expressed by people in various countries.
China, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the Philippines, Mexico, Pacific island nations and international organisations have all expressed their concerns. The scientific community in South Africa has also called for the protection of marine ecosystems and the cessation of the forced ocean discharge plan.
We must jointly safeguard the marine ecosystem, protect the health of all humanity, and preserve the only planet we rely on for survival.
We hope that Japan will take into account the legitimate concerns of the international community and its own citizens, cease the forced implementation of the ocean discharge plan, and deal with the nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, safe and transparent manner to protect the marine environment and uphold the rights and interests of people worldwide.
Once a disaster occurs, its consequences are difficult to undo, and the harm inflicted continues indefinitely. If Japan persists in its unilateral approach, it will inevitably face condemnation, bear responsibility, and pay the price for its misguided actions.
| Chen is the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa.