Mckenzie, Pete. “In the Pacific, Outcry over Japan’s Plan to Release Fukushima Wastewater.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Dec. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/30/world/asia/japan-fukushima-wastewater-pacific-radiation.html.

Japan plans to begin releasing wastewater from its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant used to cool the damaged reactor. This wastewater is created due to the necessary process of flushing the reactor daily in order to prevent another meltdown. Nations in the Pacific, especially including the Marshall Islands and Australia, have long had a tumultuous relationship with promises surrounding nuclear waste and security—especially given the US history of nuclear tests in the region. As a result, many countries in the region have signed to protest Japan’s planned release in an attempt to delay what they fear will be a release of radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean.

 

I think both sides of this issue raise valid concerns. Japan has a valid need to release its wastewater—it can neither stop the daily flushing nor find more space to put it. However, especially given pacific island countries’ relationship with nuclear energy I think they have a strong basis for their concerns—a basis driven by impacts of past nuclear waste exposure that still affects the health of their citizens today. To solve this problem, one potential solution could include stronger dialogue and security assurances from Japan and international watchdogs with a history of managing secure waste disposal. Japan’s plan has the potential to radically change the region, they ought to respect the voices of oft-sidelined stakeholders.