Japan’s prime minister ate fish sashimi from Fukushima at a luncheon Wednesday to demonstrate that it is safe to eat fish from that region after treated and diluted radioactive wastewater from the nuclear power plant was dumped into the ocean.
Fumio Kishida and three ministers ate sashimi of sole, octopus and sea bass, caught off the coast of Fukushima after the water was released, along with vegetables, fruits and a bowl of rice harvested in the region, the economy and industry minister said. he told reporters Yasutoshi Nishimura, one of the participants in the meal.
The release of treated wastewater into the ocean, which began last week and is expected to continue for decades, has been strongly challenged by fishing groups and neighboring countries.
China immediately banned all imports of aquatic products of Japanese origin to “prevent the risk of radioactive contamination.”
In South Korea, thousands of people took part in demonstrations over the weekend to condemn the dump.
On the other hand, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Tuesday that the first discharges of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant are in line with forecasts and without radiological impact on the population.
The government lunch showed Kishida’s “strong commitment to take the lead in combating reputational damage while upholding the sentiments of the Fukushima fishing community,” Nishimura stressed.
The Economy Minister had already visited a Fukushima supermarket chain on Monday to try fish, and Kishida is scheduled to visit Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market on Thursday, also to promote Fukushima fish.
The spill of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant – which suffered an accident in March 2011, melting down three of its six reactors and contaminating the land around the complex after an earthquake and a tsunami – has aroused fears among Japanese fishermen.
Fukushima Daiichi’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), aims to release 31,200 tonnes of treated water by the end of March 2024, which would empty only 10 of the approximately 1,000 storage tanks, although the rate of release should increase further. forward. .
Source: TSF
