The earthquake in the eastern part of Honshu, Japan, affects the process of "discharging the sea"? Expert: Or speed up the discharge of nuclear sewage to the sea
[Global Times reporter Xing Xiaojing Zhang Hui, Global Times correspondent in Japan Yue Linwei] On the night of the 16th, earthquakes of magnitude 6.0, 7.4 and 5.6 occurred off the east coast of Honshu, Japan. Power outages in Fukushima and Tokyo caused power outages in Miyagi and Fukushima. A tsunami warning was issued at one point.
Japan's Kyodo News Agency updated the casualty figures on the evening of the 17th, saying that the earthquake caused a total of 3 deaths and more than 180 injured.
Local Chinese told the Global Times reporter on the 17th that although their lives have not been greatly affected, they expressed concern about the safety of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Wang Ling, vice president and director of the Fukushima Overseas Chinese Federation, and president of the Northeast Branch of the Japanese Chinese Women's Federation (Japan Northeast Chinese Women's Federation), told the Global Times reporter on the 17th that the earthquake was strong, lasted for a long time, and lasted for 11 years. The previous "3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake was very similar" and "extremely afraid".
Mr. Lin, who runs a Chinese restaurant in Arakawa, Tokyo, also expressed the same feeling to the reporter, saying that this is one of the few earthquakes with a strong earthquake since the "3.11" earthquake.
However, on the 17th, the business district where he is located has returned to calm, and the flow of people has not changed much from the past.
Wang Ling told reporters that this year is the 11th year of the "3.11" earthquake. In addition, due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, no large-scale commemorative activities have been held in various places, and life seems to be returning to normal. This earthquake makes people "suddenly". Back to the nightmare of '3.11'".
Wang Ling said, fortunately, there was no violent tsunami this time, and the casualties were not as serious as "3.11".
The local Chinese have suffered damage to the store, but their personal safety is safe.
Wang Ling told the "Global Times" reporter that every time an earthquake occurs in Fukushima, she always receives a call from the Chinese Consulate General in Niigata (the jurisdiction includes Fukushima Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, etc.) to ask if it is safe, Whether she needs help, etc., she feels "so kind" every time!
Compared with the "3.11" earthquake, the earthquake did not trigger a large-scale violent tsunami.
Jiang Changsheng, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the China Earthquake Administration, explained in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the 17th that there are many factors that affect whether an earthquake triggers a tsunami. the shape of the bay, the type of earthquake source and the way of rupture.
Jiang Changsheng's analysis believes that although the earthquake and the "3.11" earthquake are both thrust-type earthquakes that are prone to tsunamis and have similar geographical factors in tsunami intrusion areas, the rupture scale of the former is much smaller than that of the latter, and the focal depth is relatively deep. , the actual ability to trigger a tsunami is far less than the former.
In addition, from the perspective of disasters, based on factors such as scale, the earthquake itself and the resulting tsunami have basically no impact on my country.
The Japanese government had previously decided to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean in April 2023. Will this earthquake affect the process of "discharging the sea"?
Zhang Yanyu, a professor at the Law School of Dalian Maritime University and dean of the Huang Bohai Research Institute, said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the 17th that the earthquake will not affect the progress of the sea discharge, and may even speed up the pace.
Because the Japanese side has already started the construction of underwater pipelines for discharging the sea, once it is completed and it considers itself "safe and secure", it may be discharged at any time.
And, given that the earthquake could cause pipeline ruptures and damage to storage tanks, Japan is more likely to speed up action.
"We call on the Japanese side to disclose information," Zhang Yanxuan told the Global Times reporter. "After the earthquake, the Japanese side is required to organize the International Atomic Energy Agency and relevant experts to go to Japan to investigate and compare the nuclear pollution data before and after the earthquake. I hope to investigate the construction speed of Japan's underwater pipelines in order to judge whether Japan will discharge the sea ahead of schedule."
Will the earthquake in Japan affect the coast of my country?
Zhang Yanxuan's analysis believes that there will be ocean currents, but the cycle of ocean currents will not be so fast.
He further explained that countries such as Russia, Canada, the United States, some Pacific island countries, and the Philippines, which the current flows through, will be affected.
He said that the nuclear-contaminated water will also flow through Taiwan Island and Diaoyu Islands, and finally pass through Okinawa and return to Japan.
Zhang Yanzhen believes that the earthquake and tsunami in Japan will not have much impact on the surrounding waters of our country.
Once the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water is discharged into the sea, it will have a huge impact on many countries in the world, including China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on the 17th that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassies and consulates in Japan will continue to pay close attention to the earthquake and aftershocks, and provide necessary assistance to Chinese citizens in Japan in a timely manner.