Letters | A harmonious way out of Japan’s Fukushima water plan

Readers write in about the best course of action in nuclear waste disposal for Tokyo, a global stance on the matter, and the slippery slope of ‘trans’ beliefs

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A woman waves a Japanese flag and a paper fan bearing the name of the new imperial era, “Reiwa”, before the first public appearance of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2019. The characters for “Reiwa” are translated as “beautiful harmony”. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:30am, 15 Jul 2023

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The release of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s review of Japan’s plan to release nuclear waste water has not pacified neighbouring countries including China and South Korea.

Some have even accused the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog of bias in favour of Japan. To calm the waters, Japan should hold off discharging the nuclear waste water into the ocean.

Japan has to show the family of nations it is a responsible member. Tokyo should assign experts the task of cutting this Gordian knot of nuclear waste disposal, even though it may require decades of research and a colossal amount of money.

Think about it. If Japan dumps the waste water as scheduled and seas everywhere are polluted decades later, can the country hold its head up high?

Imagine a better scenario in which Japan does not pollute any ocean, as a result of scientists’ hard work. A crisis could be turned into a business opportunity, with Japan pioneering a new industry.