Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and nuclear wastewater storage tank in Japan on February 13, 2021. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
According to Japanese media reports on March 12, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshi Hayashi is planning to visit the three Pacific island countries of Solomon Islands, Cook Islands and Kiribati later this month. This is the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister to these three countries.
Since February, Japan has frequently launched diplomatic moves against Pacific island countries. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi have held talks with outgoing Micronesia (Federated States President Panuelo), Cook Islands Prime Minister Brown, and Marshall Islands Foreign Minister and Trade Minister Kabua.
There is only one reason why Japan has been so eager to launch a diplomatic offensive against Pacific island countries recently: the time for Japan's proposed release of contaminated water into the sea is approaching.
Protesters protest against the discharge of Fukushima nuclear sewage into the sea outside the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, April 13, 2021. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Japan will discharge nuclear-contaminated water in the spring and summer
After the 2011 March 11 earthquake in Japan caused the core of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to melt down and a major nuclear leakage occurred, a large amount of contaminated water was simply treated and stored in a huge water storage tank about 10 meters high. These tanks have a storage capacity of about 1.37 million tons, while about 1.32 million tons have been stored so far, which is close to saturation.
Sooner or later, the water storage tank will not be able to store nuclear-contaminated water. So, in April 2021, the Japanese government chose the most irresponsible of the five solutions and decided to dilute the millions of tons of contaminated water and discharge it into the sea, scheduled for this spring.
As soon as this decision came out, it was strongly opposed by many countries and international organizations, including Japan's neighboring countries and Pacific island countries. But Kishida decided at a recent cabinet meeting that the decision to discharge the contaminated water into the sea would not change, and the time was this year's "spring and summer."
In other words, Japan will forcibly discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea within about three months from now.
The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, which is in charge of drainage projects, claim that because of the use of a filtration device called a "multi-nuclide removal device", it can filter out 62 radioactive substances such as cesium other than tritium, which is found in general nuclear wastewater, so there is no safety problem.
However, Japanese media investigations found that TEPCO's "multi-nuclide removal equipment" was often broken, and 70% of the filtered nuclear contaminated water still did not meet discharge standards. As for the long-term impact of discharge into the Pacific Ocean, there is a lack of relevant research and demonstration.
South Koreans rally outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on April 14, 2021, to protest the Japanese government's discharge of Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the sea. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Pacific island countries are already the hardest hit by nuclear disasters
Pacific island countries reacted extremely strongly to Japan's forced push to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. In January and February this year, the Pacific Islands Forum issued several statements saying that Japan's move was "opening Pandora's box" and asking Japan to use science and data to guide its decision to discharge contaminated water into the sea.
The reason why Pacific island countries have repeatedly spoken out against Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is because Pacific island countries have historically been the hardest hit areas of nuclear disasters.
Since 1946, Pacific island countries have been testing grounds for nuclear tests conducted by the United States and Britain. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. Among them, a hydrogen bomb test explosion carried out on March 1, 1954, caused many residents in the vicinity to suffer acute radiation due to errors in yield estimation; Between 1957 and 1958, Britain conducted nine nuclear tests in the former colony of Kiribati.
The United States and Britain have also dumped large amounts of nuclear waste here. Ironically, Australia, now bent on acquiring nuclear technology by buying American nuclear submarines, was also a victim.
Based on these painful historical memories, as early as 1985, the Pacific Islands Forum initiated the signing of the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty, which stipulates that the parties shall not plant or test any nuclear explosive devices in the area, including the dumping of radioactive waste and other radioactive materials.
On April 14, 2021, IAEA Director General Grossi said in an interview with Chinese media that Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean should not cause damage to the environment. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
There are only two cards to convince the South Pacific island nation of Japan
Since the beginning of this year, the reason why Japan has intensified its diplomatic offensive against Pacific island countries is to reduce international resistance to the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea. And because there is really no convincing, Japan has followed the example and played the two cards of "value diplomacy" and financial aid after the United States.
Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" reported that during Lin Fangzheng's visit to the Solomon Islands, Cook Islands and Kiribati, he will test whether all parties are willing to cooperate on the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Concept", which is the Lanan Pacific island countries joining the Indo-Pacific strategy.
Japan also plans to provide support to South Pacific island nations in addressing climate change and infrastructure development, that is, by sending money. In addition, it is said that Japan also wants to expand defense exchanges with South Pacific island countries.
This is a set of tricks to pull Pacific island countries to take sides. However, Japan's calculation may not be successful. Pacific island nations still have vivid memories of the nuclear disaster, and just last year, the United States and Australia tried to force Solomon to abandon the relevant agreement with China, and even issued military threats. Except for a few countries, most Pacific island countries also see the red and white faces of the United States, Australia and Japan.
It can be said that Japan's recent diplomatic moves against Pacific island countries are essentially trying to take advantage of the great power game and geopolitical turmoil to pull the banner of the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Concept" and remove the burden of the 2011 nuclear disaster. This method is actually no different from the various methods that want to remove the burden of history.
Written by / Lifan Xu (Columnist)
Editor / He Rui
Proofreading / Lin Zhao