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"This water, can you really drink it?"
In September 2020, when then-Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga inspected the Fukushima nuclear power plant, his face was full of resistance and suspicion when he was handed a cup of "diluted nuclear wastewater" by TEPCO.
This scene quickly became popular on the Internet and became the focus of heated discussions among netizens around the world.
Why is the prime minister of a country so afraid of a glass of water that is said to be "safe and harmless"?
What kind of secret is hidden behind this?
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck suddenly, shattering the tranquility of the Fukushima area.
Huge waves rolled and a tsunami swept in, like a roaring monster, engulfing the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
This disaster not only caused great suffering to the people of Japan, but also made people all over the world feel very uncomfortable.
However, even more terrible than natural disasters are man-made disasters.
Fuyu Nuclear Accident: 人祸大于天灾?
Earthquakes and tsunamis are unavoidable natural disasters.
However, the Fukushima nuclear accident has exposed Japan's serious problems in nuclear safety, as well as the negligence and lies of the government and companies in responding to the crisis.
First, the single-layer circulating boiling water reactor technology used at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was criticized as "outdated" and "high-risk" long before the accident.
This technique introduces cooling water directly into the seawater, which can easily lead to the leakage of radioactive materials in the event of an accident.
However, the Japan government and TEPCO have turned a blind eye to this, putting economic interests ahead of people's safety.
Second, TEPCO has been hiding potential safety hazards and tampering with data for a long time during the operation of nuclear power plants.
In 1978, there was actually a critical accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but this was hidden for many years.
In 2005 and 2006, there were also a number of accidents at the nuclear power plant, but TEPCO made these things lightly cover up.
What is even more surprising is that in 2007, TEPCO was found to have tampered with data during a routine inspection, concealing security risks for 20 years.
This series of events shows that TEPCO's prioritization of profit over safety and the disregard of rules as child's play have led to catastrophe.
In the face of surging public outrage and international doubts, the Japan government has chosen the most clumsy way - to find a "scapegoat".
Political Showmanship and the "Vanishing Warriors"
In October 2011, Yasuhiro Denari, then Japan's cabinet secretary, made a move that shocked the world at a press conference: he drank a glass of "nuclear sewage" that was said to have been treated in front of journalists from various countries.
Rest assured, the wastewater treated by the government is safe and will not cause harm to everyone.
Tian Yuan Kangbo proclaimed righteously.
However, his hands were shaking and his face was stiff, which betrayed the fear in his heart.
This "drinking water show" was considered by many to be a show and a political trick.
Some people are wondering, can a glass of water really mean that nuclear sewage is okay?
Is it really for the safety of the country and the people, or for his own career?
As it turned out, the "sacrifice" of Kosuhiro Tian did not get him the political capital he wanted.
The year after drinking that cup of "nuclear sewage", he "disappeared" from the public eye for unknown reasons and has not been heard from since.
Nine years later, the same scene played out again, but the protagonist was replaced by then Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Faced with the cup of "diluted nuclear sewage" handed by TEPCO, Suga was a little hesitant.
Instead of drinking that glass of water, he chose to remain silent.
Suga's silence was interpreted as a question of the Japan government's ability to respond to the nuclear crisis.
People can't help but ask: if this water is really safe, why doesn't even the prime minister himself dare to drink it?
Yasuhiro Idarazo and Yoshihide Suga, one is a "warrior" who "dares to sacrifice", and the other is a "coward" who "refuses to perform".
But no matter what they choose, they cannot hide the fact that the Japan government lacks transparency and credibility on the issue of nuclear sewage discharge, and has never been able to give a convincing account to the international community.
This has laid a hidden danger for the Japan government to forcibly implement the plan to discharge nuclear sewage into the sea in the future.
Nuclear Wastewater Discharge: Risks and Challenges
On August 24, 2023, despite strong international opposition, the Japan government launched a plan to discharge the Fukushima nuclear wastewater.
According to the plan, Japan will discharge more than 1.3 million tons of nuclear sewage into the Pacific Ocean over the next 30 years.
The Japan government and TEPCO said the wastewater had been treated with a "multi-nuclide treatment system" (ALPS) and that most of the radioactive material had been removed to meet safety standards.
However, this statement has aroused widespread doubts in the international community, especially in neighboring countries.
ALPS technology is not perfect and cannot completely remove all radioactive materials such as tritium and carbon-14 from nuclear wastewater.
Once these nuclides enter the ocean, they remain there for a long time and accumulate gradually through the food chain, eventually posing unknown risks to human health.
Moreover, the Japan government and TEPCO are not transparent about the data on the nuclear wastewater, and many people doubt whether the test results they provide are true and accurate.
The impact of nuclear sewage discharge on the marine ecological environment is also very serious.
The discharge of a large amount of nuclear sewage into the sea will directly harm marine life, upset the ecological balance, and may also cause irreparable losses to fishery resources.
In the face of Japan's unilateral act, the international community has expressed its opposition and condemnation.
The Chinese government has repeatedly expressed its grave concern and urged Japan to face up to the legitimate demands of the international community, neighboring countries and the people of Pacific island countries, and stop pushing ahead with the plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.
Korea people also held mass protests and demonstrations, calling on the Japan government to reverse the decision to discharge the sea.
Despite international calls for Japan not to do so, the Japan government insisted on discharging the nuclear sewage into the sea.
Conclusion: A community with a shared future for mankind: cooperation to address global challenges
What the Japan Government has done is not only irresponsible to the lives and health of its own people, but also a common challenge to the global marine ecological environment and all mankind.
Nuclear security is a global issue, and countries need to work together to strengthen cooperation.
The Japan government should face up to the concerns of the international community, take responsible actions to stop the plan to discharge nuclear sewage into the sea, and discuss with the international community the best solution for nuclear sewage treatment.
Humanity shares a planet, and no country can face challenges alone.
Building a community with a shared future for mankind, jointly addressing global challenges, and building a better future is the right direction for the development of human society.
Those who want to cover up the facts and evade responsibility will not escape the judgment of history in the end.
Information sources:
Global Network2023-08-24International hot comment: five major questions about the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea Japan, please answer!
Global Network2023-08-24The first hot search! What is happening to Japan officials who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago?
China Daily 2024-08-25One year after Fukushima nuclear contaminated water was discharged into the sea, the Japanese people insisted on calling for a halt to the discharge