News 1+1丨Japan's nuclear waste water enters the sea, is it a "nuclear" test?

Does it fit?

  On the 13th, the Japanese government officially decided to discharge the Fukushima nuclear waste water into the sea.

This move not only aroused dissatisfaction and doubts among Japanese citizens, but neighboring countries such as China and South Korea also expressed their opposition: this approach is extremely irresponsible and will seriously damage international public health and safety and the vital interests of the people of neighboring countries.

Why did Japan do this?

What is the impact of this?

Can nuclear waste water enter the sea, can it really be "pour it down"?

Japan's nuclear waste water enters the sea, is it a "nuclear" test?

Does it fit?

  The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contains nuclear waste water that is harmful to the marine environment. After being filtered and diluted, it will be discharged into the sea. The total amount of nuclear waste water exceeds 1 million tons, and the discharge will start in about two years.

This morning, the Japanese government convened a cabinet meeting and announced its formal decision to discharge the Fukushima nuclear waste water into the ocean.

Why should Japan consider processing and solving the nuclear waste water problem of nuclear power plants at this time?

Are the procedures and processes trustworthy?

Apart from discharging nuclear waste water into the ocean, is there really no better way?

Over the past few years

Facing opposition

What is the Japanese government doing?

Headquarters reporter Wang Meng:

"Basically confirmed" on April 9th ​​and "officially confirmed" on April 13th. Regarding the discharge of Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the sea, the Japanese government seems to have been "ventilating" for several days, but in fact It's been "released" for several years.

In the past few years, the Japanese government has mentioned it every once in a while, but because the voice of opposition is too great, it won't stop.

And after each time, instead of looking for a better solution, two problems were solved: one is how to discharge and the other is how to explain.

Why are the Fukushima Fishermen and Fisheries Association angrily opposed?

Headquarters reporter Wang Meng:

The opposition in Japan is now particularly strong. The two groups most directly affected by the discharge of wastewater into the sea are residents of Fukushima Prefecture and the Fisheries Association.

① Fukushima residents.

Fukushima residents believe that Tokyo Electric Power Company said that the nuclear waste water discharged into the sea is not polluted, so why not pour it from Tokyo Bay?

Why pour it from the sea near Fukushima?

Why are the people of Fukushima enduring all the suffering in the past 10 years?

② Fishery Association.

On April 7, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga went to meet with Hiroshi Kishi, the chairman of the Japan Fisheries Association, but the Fisheries Association still said that it could not accept such a decision and resolutely opposed it.

It has been 10 years since the nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the "March 11" earthquake. As a prefecture producing fish and grain, food has not been accepted by the outside world.

Tokyo Electric Power Company

Both an "athlete" and a "referee"

Is it still credible?

Headquarters reporter Wang Meng:

I think there is still a strong opposition from the Japanese people, which is based on their distrust of TEPCO.

This is because it is TEPCO that discharges nuclear waste water into the sea, and TEPCO is the one that says that nuclear waste water is not polluted.

To use an analogy that everyone is very familiar with, this is equivalent to that "Tong Dian" is both an athlete and a referee. Is it credible?

At least TEPCO lied after the Fukushima nuclear accident and concealed the nuclear leak.

In addition to being discharged into the ocean

For nuclear wastewater

Is there really no better way to deal with it?

Headquarters reporter Wang Meng:

Maybe many people want to get the answer, and the most true answer may be very difficult for us to know.

However, the Japanese government has repeatedly given an explanation that Japan's land area is too small to afford landfill and other disposal methods.

Compared with operations such as steam release and discharge into the sea, it is more convenient, the technology is more mature, and more importantly, the cost is lower.

Some Japanese environmental experts said that storing nuclear waste water on land under the existing technical means, which is the method currently being adopted, is actually the best solution, and discharging into the sea is a lazy and non-existent solution. Responsible approach.

So Japan actually chose not to store nuclear waste water in its own country.

Neighboring countries oppose

How did Japan react?

Headquarters reporter Wang Meng:

First of all, I think the opposition will still be particularly loud in the future, and I believe that the Japanese government has really heard it, otherwise the Japanese government will not invite people from various countries and regions in Japan to open the video today. The meeting came to explain.

At the same time, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato also said today that it is very important to continue to seek the understanding of neighboring countries, including China and South Korea.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also said that he would make detailed explanations based on scientific evidence and strive to seek the understanding of the international community to deal with the damage to the image.

Therefore, the Japanese government actually wants to explain, explain, and strive to gain understanding for opposition, whether it is domestic or foreign, and all explanations are for more logical implementation of the decision made today.

So next, the Japanese government should start a lot of practical work.

The South Korean government

regrets the actions of the Japanese government

Headquarters reporter Tang Xin:

This morning, the South Korean government convened an emergency meeting. The meeting included three important points.

  ① Expressed strong regret for the Japanese government's actions.

  ② The Japanese government should ensure the openness and transparency of the handling process.

  ③Neighboring countries and the international community should strengthen cooperation to jointly respond.

Japan needs to respond to the concerns of neighboring countries with a more positive attitude

Headquarters reporter Tang Xin: The

South Korean government hopes that the Japanese government can face this incident with a more positive attitude and eliminate the concerns of neighboring countries.

In other words, Japan is required to disclose information in a strict, accurate, open, and transparent manner in an open, transparent, proactive, and timely manner, and fully negotiate with neighboring countries.

We have seen that although the Japanese government has repeatedly claimed that the safety of nuclear waste water discharged into the sea is controllable, in South Korea’s view, this statement is not completely reliable, because looking back at the past few years, the Japanese government has responded to and handled the Fukushima nuclear accident. During the process, there were many problems, so the South Korean side believes that Japan can guarantee that what it does in the future will be as perfect as it is now. It needs to allow the international community to carry out effective supervision to ensure that the treatment and discharge process is safe. Point has always been a concern of South Korea.

What is South Korea worried about?

Headquarters reporter Tang Xin:

From the government to civic organizations, and then to ordinary consumers, everyone’s common concern is the harm to the Korean marine environment, the threat to the safety of Korean aquatic products, and the impact on the health of Koreans. Because these are related to the life of every Korean.

Today, South Korean citizen groups held a protest rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in South Korea.

During the protest, the demonstrators emphasized that South Korea and Japan are so close and share a lot of marine resources. If the Japanese government does not do a good job in the process of nuclear wastewater treatment and discharge, and hidden dangers and problems arise, South Korea is likely to be the first. This is a victim, and the degree of damage is likely to be the worst in a country other than Japan. Therefore, at today’s demonstration, the head of a South Korean civic organization also called the Japanese government’s approach a kind of "nuclear terror." His attitude is also very tough.

In addition, the demonstrators also introduced to reporters that the most important thing for Koreans in the future is how to control the import of Japanese aquatic products at the source, prohibiting these aquatic products from flowing into the Korean market and flowing to citizens’ tables to ensure the health of Koreans. health.

How to treat

The U.S. supports Japan’s decision to enter the sea from Fukushima’s sewage

Obscure information?

CCTV reporter Yin Yue:

Neighboring countries are disgusted, and countries far away may not be equally disgusted, but judging from the current US attitude, there are actually some very complicated signals.

The U.S. State Department used some very vague words in its statement on this incident.

The original text reads "The United States understands that the Japanese government has evaluated several options related to the management of the treated water currently stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant site. In this unique and challenging situation, Japan has weighed the various options and impacts. , Has always been transparent about its own decisions, and seems to have adopted an approach that conforms to globally recognized nuclear safety standards.” As an official government statement, it also involves whether Japan meets international standards, but the US State Department has used a very ambiguous description. , Obscuring individual key information, then, when the United States, an international power, is supporting this decision that concerns all mankind, does it know whether Japan’s approach meets the standard?

I think that once Japan is held accountable for this matter in the future, the United States can use vague expressions to shirk responsibility.

U.S. supports Japan's Fukushima sewage disposal decision

Are there any complicated considerations behind it?

CCTV reporter Yin Yue:

On the one hand, after U.S. Secretary of State Blincol took office, he listed eight key diplomatic tasks when he first explained the foreign policy of the Biden administration to the public, including addressing climate change and environmental protection; Biden The government also intends to hold a climate dialogue on April 22, inviting countries to discuss countermeasures. In addition, John Kerry, the Special Envoy for the President of the United States, also frequently visits countries to promote global climate cooperation.

On the other hand, among the eight major foreign policies listed by Brinken, the climate issue ranks sixth, and the fifth place is for the United States to strengthen cooperation with allies. Brinken said in his speech that the global alliance system is The unique assets of the United States and the need to reshape the relationship with these American allies are more suitable for today's environment.

According to media reports, the Japanese Prime Minister is likely to become the first foreign leader to visit the United States since the Biden administration took office.

Therefore, in light of the general background, the US decision to support Japan's nuclear waste water discharge is indeed sending a very complicated signal.

Discharge nuclear waste water into the sea

The currently published data is not open and transparent enough

Wang Yi, professor of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University and director of the Institute of Nuclear Environmental Engineering:

Whether the data released by Japan is true or not is a very important matter. In addition to the currently announced radioactive material "tritium", are there any other substances, especially Alpha radionuclide, this is very important, the data must be accurate.

I personally feel that the current data in Japan is not sufficiently open and transparent, and it is necessary to maintain close communication with all stakeholders.

Is there a better option for nuclear waste water disposal?

Wang Yi, professor of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University and director of the Nuclear Environmental Engineering Teaching and Research Institute:

At present, the concentration of the radioactive substance “tritium” is still too high. Although it is diluted in the sea by the sea, the radioactivity per liter or every cubic meter It will be reduced, but Japan’s best practice is to collect the radioactive waste water first, and then attenuate it for two to three radiation periods, preferably four radiation periods. In other words, store it for another 30 to 50 years, and then again. It’s safer to discharge it into the sea. In addition, it has been 10 years since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. According to media reports, Japan has only collected 1.37 million cubic meters of wastewater. It can be imagined that it will only collect wastewater in another 10 years. It will be less than 1.37 million cubic meters. I think Japan is fully capable of collecting waste water and storing it separately.

Therefore, this current practice is extremely irresponsible and will seriously damage international public health and safety and the vital interests of the people of neighboring countries.

The Japanese government officially decided to discharge Fukushima nuclear waste water

Should we negotiate friendly with neighboring countries?

Wang Yi, professor of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University and director of the Institute of Nuclear Environmental Engineering:

This is absolutely necessary, because the ocean is the common property of the entire mankind, not a country of Japan, not its "post pond", especially for China As neighbors, the two countries must greet each other.

In addition, China and South Korea and other countries capable of testing should verify the real data of Japan's nuclear wastewater, which is the minimum.

Moreover, the entire discharge process, such as the annual discharge flow and the discharge location, must be open and transparent, and carried out under the supervision of the Pacific Rim countries. This is a country that should have a responsible attitude.