[Photo] No Fukushima strawberries, thank you

Korean environmental groups criticized the Japanese prime minister's attempt to quell fears about pollution from the nuclear plant by eating a strawberry from a nearby farm

On the stairs of the Sejong Center in central Seoul on Monday, members of the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health and the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements’ committee on ocean protection stage a protest of Japan’s plans to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. (Yoon Woon-sik/The Hankyoreh) 

On the stairs of the Sejong Center in central Seoul on Monday, members of the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health and the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements’ committee on ocean protection staged a protest criticizing former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and newly elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s stances on releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Kishida made his first trip to the plant as prime minister on Oct. 17, during which he told reporters that he “felt strongly that the water issue is a crucial one that should not be pushed back” after seeing the numerous tanks filled with contaminated water.

“We will provide explanations about safety from a scientific viewpoint and transparency in order to address people’s concerns,” he said.

His statement, in essence, revealed that Japan will push forward with its plan to dump the contaminated water into the ocean after filtering it through an advanced liquid processing system, also known as ALPS.

On the stairs of the Sejong Center in central Seoul on Monday, members of the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health and the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements’ committee on ocean protection stage a protest of Japan’s plans to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. (Yoon Woon-sik/The Hankyoreh)

During the same trip, Kishida visited a market for regional agricultural products located 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) away from the nuclear plant and tasted strawberries grown at a neighboring farm.

His actions are being read as an attempt to promote the Japanese government’s stance that foods produced in the Fukushima region are safe to consume and reassure local residents ahead of the upcoming election.

But the action by members of Korean environmental groups criticized Kishida’s trip as “ignoring the domestic and international concerns” over the water being released, and called on the Japanese government to withdraw their “misguided plan that threatens the ocean, humanity’s common resource.” 

It's anticipated that Japan will begin releasing the water in the spring of 2023. 

By Yoon Woon-sik, senior staff writer

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