-CivilsocietygroupsinJapanandmanyinternationalorganizationshavevoicedobjectionstotheFukushimawastewaterreleaseplan,citingalackofapracticaldemonstrationanditspotentialthreattosocietyandmarineecology.-AnalystsbelievethatJapanshouldnotignoretheconcernsandlivelihoodsofPacificislanders.

FilephototakenonOct.12,2017showshugetanksthatstorecontaminatedradioactivewastewaterinFukushimaDaiichinuclearplant,inFukushimaPrefecture,Japan.(Xinhua)

SUVA,Feb.26(Xinhua)--PacificleadersonFridaywrappedupthetwo-dayPacificIslandsForum(PIF)SpecialLeaders"RetreatinFiji,whereJapan"sFukushimawastewaterreleaseplanwasinthelimelight.

ThePIFrotatingchairunderlinedinastatementthatscienceanddatashouldguidepoliticaldecisionsonJapan"sproposeddischargeoftreatedradioactivewastewaterfromthewreckedFukushimanuclearplantintothesea.

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TheoutgoingchairandFiji"sPrimeMinisterSitiveniRabuka,togetherwithotherPIFleaders,believesthedecisionisnotassimpleasadomesticissueofJapan,butconcernstheSouthPacificislandcountriesandbeyond.

GiventhatrelateddataandevidenceprovidedbyJapanarefarfromindependentorverifiable,thePIFhascalledonthecountryrepeatedlytodelaythedischargeplan.

PeoplerallytoprotestagainsttheJapanesegovernment"sdecisiontodischargecontaminatedradioactivewastewaterinFukushimaPrefectureintothesea,inTokyo,capitalofJapan,April13,2021.(Xinhua/DuXiaoyi)

CRITICISMFROMINT"LCOMMUNITY

CivilsocietygroupsinJapanandmanyinternationalorganizationshavealsovoicedobjectionstotheplan,citingalackofapracticaldemonstrationanditspotentialthreattosocietyandmarineecology.

Overthepastyears,fishermeninneighboringcountrieshavestagedseveralrallies,callingforimmediatestoptothe"gravecriminalact"ofreleasingradioactivewaterintothesea.WithinJapan,localcivicgroupshaveorganizedprotestsoutsidethegovernmenthouseofFukushimaPrefecture.

Japan"sunilateralpushtodischargeradioactivewastewaterfromitscrippledFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantintothePacificOceanisirresponsibleandharmful,SouthKoreangreenactivistshavesaid.

"ThePacificOceanisnottheseaofJapan,buttheseaofeverybody...Pollutantswillflowtoneighboringcountriesinasituationthatalotofradioactivematerialshavealreadybeenreleasedandcontaminated(themarineecosystem),"AhnJae-hun,energyandclimatechangedirectorattheKoreaFederationforEnvironmentMovement,toldXinhua.

TheJapanesegovernment"sdecisiontodischargethecontaminatedwaterintotheseawhentherearealternativessuchaslong-termstorageviolatestheprecautionaryprinciplerecognizedbytheinternationalcommunity,GreenpeaceSeoulOfficehassaid.Greenpeaceisanindependentglobalcampaigningnetworkforenvironmentprotection.

"Wemustpreventactionthatwillleadormisleadustowardanothermajornuclearcontaminationdisasteratthehandsofothers,"saidPIFSecretaryGeneralHenryPuna.

TakealookathowJapanproceededwiththat.

TheJapanesegovernmentdecidedinApril2021toreleasemorethanonemilliontonsoftreatedwastewaterintothePacificOceanthisspring.

Threemonthslater,JapangreenlitthedischargeplanwhiletheInternationalAtomicEnergyAgency(IAEA)"staskforcewasstillconductingthereviewmission.

Earlierthisyear,Japanunilaterallyannouncedthatitwouldstartdischargingtheradioactivewaterinspringorsummer,justbeforetheagency"staskforcearrivesinJapanforreview.

ApostertoboycottJapaneseproductsisseeninasupermarkettoprotestagainstJapan"sdecisiontodumpradioactivewastewaterfromthecrippledFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantintothePacificOcean,inSeoul,SouthKorea,April14,2021.(PhotobyXuRuxi/Xinhua)

PACIFICOPPOSITION

PacificislandcountriesunanimouslyopposeJapan"sreleaseplanformultiplereasons,citingecologicalfragility,economicdependenceonthefisheriesindustry,andthedevastatingeffectsofradioactivepollutioncausedbyWesternnucleartesting.

First,Pacificislandcountriesareconcernedthatthereleasedradioactivesubstanceswillspreadwithoceancurrentsandtides,riskingcontaminatingfish.Asmorethanhalfoftheworld"stunacomesfromthePacificOcean,apotentiallycontaminatedenvironmentcouldhurtthefisheriesthatthosecountriesrelyon.

Second,thePacificOcean"sdelicateecologymaycomeunderthreat.Ifthewastewaterreleaseleadstoanecologicaldisaster,thevulnerableislandresidentswillleavetheirhomes,causinganecologicalandsurvivalcrisisthatwilldealaheavyblowtotheentirePacificregion.

Last,WesterncountrieshaveconductedadazzlingarrayofnucleartestsinthePacificsincethemid-20thcentury,resultinginshockingradioactivepollutionandecologicaldisasters.Thesehaveleftpainfulmemoriesforislanders,whohavebeensensitivetothewastewaterissue.

AnalystsbelievethatJapanshouldnotignoretheconcernsandlivelihoodsofPacificislanders.Neithershoulditdumpthewastewaterintotheseauntildisputesaresettledoverthelegitimacyofthedischargeplan,thereliabilityofradioactivitydata,theeffectivenessofpurificationequipmentandtheuncertaintyofenvironmentalimpact,theyadded.

ByZengYan,GuoYuqi,ZhangYongxing,WangXinyi