Japan has begun discharging radioactive water from the Daiichi nuclear power facility in Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean. The reason behind releasing the radioactive water is primarily due to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and the water has been accumulating ever since.
After the horrific tsunami, many reactors melted and the workers had to flood the reactors with water to try to cool them down. As a result, the water was severely contaminated. As the year's progress, groundwater has made its way up to the sites which also become contaminated.
The radioactive water has become a huge headache for the government to deal with. Currently, 350 million gallons of radioactive water are being stored in more than 1,000 tanks. The tanks are near capacity which is the reason behind releasing the water into the ocean.
The release of the water would be into four parts. From now until the end of March 2024. The entire process would take at least 30 years.
The Decision's Financial Repercussions
Due to Japan’s decision to release radioactive water into the Ocean, China decided to ban the import of aquatic products from Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during an interview stated he would like to have a discussion with China about easing the embargo. China imports around $600 million of aquatic products per year making China the biggest market for aquatic products. China and Hong Kong account for 42% of Japan's exports of aquatic products in 2022.
A survey in South Korea showed that 60% of people would not eat seafood after the release of the water. Fishmonger Kim Hae-cheol said his revenue had been cut in half for a few months now and with the release of water is going to cut his revenue even more. He said he had not sold any fish all day and he would make around $300-380 at the time of the interview.
Taiwan also decided to ban the import of aquatic products from Japan after finding radiation in a batch of Japanese clams. At the same time, Singapore has tested four different samples of vegetables and decided to proceed with the ban on food. Singapore radiation contamination was found in Japanese parsley ( Mitsuba), Nanohana (rapeseed plant), Mizuna ( Japanese mustard), and perilla leaf samples. Australia and the US have also imposed restrictions on food imports from Japan.
Protest
Japan has publicly stated it would like China to urge its citizens to stop making calls regarding the water release. Chinese citizens have made crank phone calls and thrown stones at Japan’s embassy. China has yet to respond. On the same note, Japan and Korea both have their citizens protesting to stop the release of the water.
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