{"id":51822,"date":"2021-12-20T04:33:26","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T03:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=51822"},"modified":"2024-12-16T19:19:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T18:19:52","slug":"unheard-voices-fishermen-fukushima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/51822\/unheard-voices-fishermen-fukushima\/","title":{"rendered":"Their unheard voices: The fishermen of Fukushima"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In April 2021, the Japanese government decided to discharge radioactive water stored inside the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean. TEPCO\u2019s plan is to build a pipeline along the ocean bed and release diluted processed radioactive water 1 km off the coast of Fukushima. In November, Greenpeace conducted its 33rd Fukushima radiation survey since the nuclear disaster, during which we had the opportunity to interview local fisherman Mr. Haruo Ono. Mr. Ono opens up about the pain he feels, saying that discharging radioactive water into the ocean will throw Fukushima\u2019s fishing industry back down into the abyss.<\/p>\n\n

\"Radiation
Greenpeace Japan has been regularly conducting radiation survey in the Fukushima Prefecture after the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in March 2011, and conducted its 33rd survey in November 2021.
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

It has taken us 10 years to get to where we are<\/h3>\n\n

\u201cHow can such a thing be allowed to happen,\u201d sighed Mr. Ono with a thick Fukushima accent. As he scanned the newspaper in his home, his eyes came to rest on an article and comments about the plan, announced by TEPCO the previous day, to discharge radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean. \u201cThe ocean\u2019s alive, too, you know!\u201d The hand that gripped the newspaper turned white.  <\/p>\n\n

Mr. Haruo Ono from Shinchi Town, Fukushima was born into a family of three generations of fishermen, and has helped out with the family business from as early as he can remember. Then in March 2011, everything fell apart. His town was badly hit by the tsunami that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake and then, to make matters even worse, vast amounts of radiation were released from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The fish they landed were found to contain radioactive substances, and fishermen were left with no choice but to voluntarily cease all fishing off the coast of Fukushima for approximately one year.<\/p>\n\n

In June 2012, just over a year after the disaster, fishing trials were restarted and the sale of certain seafood, such as octopus and some shellfish was subsequently permitted. In February 2020, the ban was finally lifted for all seafood, and now Mr. Ono is permitted to go out to sea to fish up to ten times in a month. However, in April 2021, a month after the ten year anniversary of the disaster, the Japanese government made a cabinet decision to discharge radioactive water into the ocean.<\/p>\n\n

\"Mr.
Mr. Haruo Ono, who has lived half his life as a fisherman in Shinchi Town, Fukushima (November 2021)<\/em>
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cFish are finally starting to return after ten years, but if they now pour tritium into the water, no matter how much they dilute it, who\u2019s going to buy those fish? Who wants to eat poisoned fish? \u201d<\/p>\n\n

For a decade since the nuclear disaster, Mr. Ono has endured the frustration of not being able to fish freely, and the unfairness of having his catch overlooked simply because it\u2019s from Fukushima. \u201cSo then why didn\u2019t they discharge it into the sea ten years ago? That\u2019s because it would have been wrong, right?\u201d Unable to hold back any longer, his frustration poured out. <\/p>\n\n

Voices going unheard<\/h3>\n\n

After the decision was made to discharge the polluted water into the ocean, the government held a number of information sessions for the residents of Shinchi Town, which Mr. Ono attended. However, he says he still hasn\u2019t received an answer as to why they are going to discharge the water into the ocean. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe person in charge arrives at 3:30, and the session is over at 5. There\u2019s 30 minutes for questions. Out of the blue, they hand us a huge stack of documents, and they expect us to understand,\u201d said Mr. Ono. \u201cWe have a right to ask questions, we have a right to know. If there is no option but to discharge the water into the ocean, then we want an acceptable answer about this decision.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

TEPCO\u2019s \u201cRadiological Impact Assessment Regarding the Discharge of ALPS Treated Water into the Sea\u201d1<\/sup> that was released in November 2021, reflected exactly the same stance. \u201cTEPCO is skilled at spinning the story. They make it seem as if we have accepted the decision. They are very good at manipulating the language, and on top of that, how many people are even going to actually read such a huge document\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

\"Radiation
Fukushima\u2019s fishing industry was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and subsequent nuclear power disaster (Soma City, November 2021)<\/em>
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Behind the enduring mistrust is a decade of repeated dishonesty by the government and TEPCO towards the local fishermen. Firstly, in 2015 TEPCO made a promise to the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations that it \u201cwould neither treat nor dispose of\u201d the contaminated water stored inside the buildings, \u201cin any way, without the understanding of those concerned\u201d2<\/sup>. Furthermore, with reports that the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water actually contained levels of radiation other than tritium, such as carbon-14, that exceeded permitted levels, they have repeatedly betrayed the trust of local residents and those involved in the local fisheries.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhy do they have to put TEPCO first so much? Shouldn\u2019t it be the victims, the local residents, who need protecting?\u201d Mr. Ono protested. \u201cNobody has agreed to this. And then they go and make such a thoughtless decision regardless. The ocean is our place of work. Can you imagine what it feels like for that to be intentionally polluted?\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Responsibility to the future up in the air<\/h3>\n\n

As of 8 December 2021, there\u2019s a total of approximately 1.285 million tonnes of radiation contaminated water stored in the tanks inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station3<\/sup>. During 2020, with groundwater flowing into the nuclear reactor buildings, and the cooling of fuel debris, the amount of water increased at a pace of approximately 140 tonnes a day4<\/sup>. <\/p>\n\n

According to TEPCO, the tanks will be full by spring 2023, hence their decision to discharge the polluted water into the ocean. However, a subcommittee of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, set up in 2019, suggested that there is room to build more tanks within the plant5<\/sup>. \u201cIf we can continue to store the polluted water, then there\u2019s no need to rush to a decision. Why are they rushing to make a decision, when we might find a better way to process the water in the future?\u201d<\/p>\n\n

TEPCO plans to eliminate radionuclides, other than tritium, to levels below regulatory standards, and dilute the tritium to 1\/40 of permitted levels before discharging the water into the ocean. TEPCO says that the level of tritium discharged annually will not exceed 22 trillion becquerels per year – the maximum annual limit that was in place prior to the nuclear disaster – and that it will conduct regular reviews. <\/p>\n\n

\"Radiation
10 years since the disaster, radioactive water inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant continues to increase (Namie Town, November 2021)<\/em>
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

However, whether you dilute the polluted water or employ new techniques to discharge it, the total amount of radiation released into the environment does not change. While the half-life of tritium might be 12 years, the half life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. As long as water is being discharged, radioactive material will continue to accumulate in the ocean.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be 30 or 40 years before we see the effects. The causal relationship will have become unclear and it\u2019ll be impossible to prove anything. What\u2019s going to happen to the future of our children, our grandchildren? It\u2019s not even clear who will take responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The ocean is alive too<\/h3>\n\n

\u201cIt feels like – it\u2019s our ocean, but it\u2019s not our ocean\u201d. This is something that Mr. Ono often said and seems to reflect the persistent sensation that things are moving forward without the people who have lived alongside the ocean for so long, the fishermen. <\/p>\n\n

The fishermen of Fukushima face a harsh reality. They are only allowed to go out fishing up to 10 times a month, and their monthly income comes to about 120,000 Yen (~940 Euro). The future is unclear, and their troubles just keep increasing. \u201cWho would want to continue fishing in such an environment, who would want their children to become fishermen? If it goes on like this, there won\u2019t be another generation of fishermen. Discharging the water into the ocean is the last straw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

In response to the ocean discharge plan, the government and TEPCO have promised compensation and measures to counteract reputation damage, to local forestry and fishery businesses. However, this is beyond the point. \u201cThey\u2019re focusing solely on things like mitigating damage to the reputation of local produce, or promises to buy our fish, but that\u2019s not what\u2019s important. We\u2019re not catching fish so that they can be thrown away. We want to catch them so that people can eat and enjoy them,\u201d he says with a sigh. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
On occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Greenpeace Japan activists held up a banner in front of the national Diet (Parliament) building, calling for the Japanese government to shift to a renewable energy future. \u00a9 Taishi Takahashi \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cFirstly, why is it not okay to release radiation on land, but okay to put it in the ocean? You\u2019ve got the mountains and the water from the rivers flowing into the sea, plankton grows, small fish eat the plankton and bigger fish eat the smaller fish. That\u2019s the cycle. Polluting it is easy, but once you\u2019ve polluted you can\u2019t go back to how it was. The ocean is alive too, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The ocean that Mr. Ono is trying to protect is the same ocean that took away his brother\u2019s life ten years ago, in the tsunami. \u201cThe ocean can kill, but it can also give life. If we don\u2019t protect it, who will? The fish don\u2019t have a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe ocean is alive too. And we\u2019re citizens of this country, too, you know. I\u2019m begging, somebody, please listen to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Currently, at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station, preparations are underway to discharge the polluted water into the ocean in spring 2023. This is going to destroy the livelihoods and dignity of Fukushima\u2019s fishermen, and their heartbreaking pleas have yet reached the government or TEPCO, who are focused only on maintaining the superficial appearance of \u201crecovery\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

1<\/sup>Radiological Impact Assessment Regarding the Discharge of ALPS Treated Water into the Sea (Design stage) at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station<\/a><\/p>\n\n

2<\/sup>TEPCO https:\/\/www.tepco.co.jp\/news\/2015\/images\/150825a.pdf<\/a> (Japanese only)<\/p>\n\n

3<\/sup>TEPCO Treated Water Portal Site<\/a><\/p>\n\n

4<\/sup>TEPCO How much contaminated water is being generated<\/a><\/p>\n\n

5<\/sup>METI The Subcommittee on Handling ALPS Treated Water<\/a><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Mitsuhisa Kawase is Senior Communication Officer at Greenpeace Japan.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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