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South Korean activists protest the Japanese government’s decision to discharge the contaminated water from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, on Aug. 10, 2018. (Kim Jung-hyo/The Hankyoreh)

The Japanese government decided Tuesday to release radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, prompting sharp protests from neighboring countries South Korea and China. Nonprofits in Japan that oppose the plan held press conferences in Fukushima and in front of the prime minister’s residence. The international environmental group Greenpeace issued a statement condemning Tokyo’s decision.

The South Korean government conveyed its strong regrets Tuesday to the Japanese government in an emergency meeting of vice ministers of related ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

The meeting was chaired by Koo Yun-cheol, chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, who said, “We will take all necessary measures for the safety of our citizens.”

The South Korean government demanded that Japan transparently release information about the entire process of treating the contaminated water and promised to conduct thorough radiation testing of food imported from Japan.

On the same day, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-moon summoned Koichi Aiboshi, Japan’s ambassador to South Korea, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where Choi strongly protested Japan’s decision to dump contaminated water from Fukushima.

China also denounced what it called a “unilateral and irresponsible decision” in a statement signed by its foreign ministry spokesperson.

“The ocean is the shared property of mankind, and contaminated water must not be dumped into the ocean without permission,” the statement said.

“We reserve the right to take additional action,” China said, suggesting that if Japan doesn’t retract its decision, China could take countermeasures.

Nonprofits connected with the environment and the nuclear industry have also swung into action.

Sayonara Nuclear Power Plants organized a press conference to protest the Japanese government’s decision in front of the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo. Over 300 people showed up for the press conference, where they urged the Japanese government to listen to locals and fishermen and not to dump the contaminated water into the ocean.

Around 50 people also gathered in front of the Fukushima Prefectural Office for a protest. A banner at the protest said, “Don’t release the contaminated water into the ocean.”

Greenpeace released a statement condemning the decision of the Japanese government to discharge the contaminated water, stating that this decision “completely disregards the human rights and interests of the people in Fukushima, wider Japan and the Asia-Pacific region […] including Korea.”

By Noh Hyun-woong, staff reporter

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