Japan-Fukushima Nuclear Pollution/Protest

Shotlist

FILE: Tokyo, Japan – April 16, 2022 (CGTN – No access Chinese mainland)
1. Sign of Tokyo Electric Power Company

Tokyo, Japan – Aug 3, 2022 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Protester (name not given):
“The Tokyo Electric Power Company initiated the project of releasing the contaminated water into the sea without the understanding and permission of the local people. It’s a terrible act.”
3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Protester (name not given):
“The consequences will not show immediately. With something bad done now, when it comes to negative effects, where will the TEPCO and the Japanese government be and who will be held accountable? I think it’s very irresponsible.”
4. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Protester (name not given):
“All parties from all walks of life have proposed many solutions, including storage on land. But TEPCO seems to have completely ignored these proposals. I think it’s very suspicious that the decision has been made without giving a reason why it has to be discharged into the sea. I am against the discharging plan.”

FILE: Fukushima, Japan – Feb 16, 2022 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
5. Aerial shots of nuclear power plant, seaside

FILE: Fukushima, Japan – April 11, 2022 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
6. Sea

FILE: Fukushima, Japan – March 9, 2022 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of fishermen working at shore

FILE: Fukushima, Japan – Feb 16, 2022 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
8. Boats in harbor

Storyline

Japanese residents gathered in Tokyo on Wednesday to voice their opposition against the project of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to construct facilities for discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea.

TEPCO announced it will start the project on Thursday, two days after the Fukushima government’s approval.

Dozens of protesters at the headquarters of TEPCO held signs and banners to strongly oppose the plan.

“The Tokyo Electric Power Company initiated the project of releasing the contaminated water into the sea without the understanding and permission of the local people. It’s a terrible act,” said a protester.

“The consequences will not show immediately. With something bad done now, when it comes to negative effects, where will the TEPCO and the Japanese government be and who will be held accountable? I think it’s very irresponsible,” said another protester.

“All parties from all walks of life have proposed many solutions, including storage on land. But TEPCO seems to have completely ignored these proposals. I think it’s very suspicious that the decision has been made without giving a reason why it has to be discharged into the sea. I am against the discharging plan,” said a woman.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on July 22 gave its official approval for TEPCO’s plan to discharge nuclear polluted water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea. The Fukushima government gave the green light to the company within only two weeks, which indicates that the so-called taking advice from all parties was just a formality.

Before the approval of the NRA, TEPCO started the construction of shafts and an undersea tunnel.

As of July 28, 1.3 million tons of contaminated water had been stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, 96 percent of the tank’s total capacity.

The company said the tank will be full as early as next summer, so the discharging plan is to start next spring.

The plan has not won the approval from local fishermen. Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations recently said it will not waver in the firm opposition to the discharge of contaminated water into the ocean.