"If the contaminated water from Japan's (Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant) is safe, then why not keep it in Japan?"
The Minister of Fiji, a South Pacific island nation, publicly criticized Japan's discharge of contaminated water at an international conference, reported Japan's Asahi Shimbun on the 5th. Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu was also present at the event.
Tiko Duadua (far right in the photo), Minister of Internal Affairs of Fiji [Photo by Reuters/Yonhap News]
On the 3rd, the 20th Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) was held in Singapore. The statement by the Fijian minister came during the section related to the "security order of the oceans."
At that time, a participant in the discussion asked Defense Minister Hamada about the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water into the sea. In response, Minister Hamada explained, "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified it, and after evaluations by scientists from various countries confirming its safety, we will proceed with the discharge with understanding."
After Minister Hamada finished speaking, Pio Tikoduadua, Fiji's Minister of Internal Affairs, pointed out, "If Japan says the contaminated water is safe, then why not keep it in Japan?" He added, "If it is discharged into the sea, at some point the contaminated water will flow southward. We are very concerned."
Fiji is a member country of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which consists of more than 10 Pacific island nations. The Pacific island nations, whose lives depend on the ocean, have consistently expressed concerns about the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
They formed an independent advisory group composed of international experts in nuclear physics, oceanography, and biology, and after a year of verification, they urged a "postponement of discharge," stating that the safety of the Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water is uncertain.
Earlier, at the Korea-Pacific Summit held for the first time in South Korea on May 29, the Republic of the Marshall Islands reportedly expressed a strong opposition to the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water. They stated that constructive discussions can only take place after scientific evidence is presented so that neighboring countries can believe in its safety 100%.
Meanwhile, on the 24th, Foreign Minister Park Jin said that the government's inspection team for Japan's Fukushima contaminated water "is not just a figurehead," and that "experts will go to the site, see it with their own eyes, and carefully check and inspect it."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
