Japan fishermen oppose 'catastrophic' release of Fukushima water to ocean

TOKYO - Japanese fish industry representatives on Thursday (Oct 8) urged the government not to allow the release at sea of tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, saying it would undo years of work to restore their reputation. Tokyo Electric has collected more than a million tonnes of contaminated water since the plant was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The water is stored in huge tanks that crowd the site and it says it will run out of storage room by 2022. "We are dead against a release of contaminated water to the ocean as it could have a catastrophic impact on the future of Japan's fishing industry," Hiroshi Kishi, president of JF Zengyoren, told a meeting with government officials. JF Zengyoren is a nationwide federation of Japan's fisheries cooperatives. Early this year, a panel of experts advising Japan's government on the disposal of radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima plant, recommended releasing it into the ocean. Japan's industry ministry, which has been hearing views since April, invited fishery representatives to a seventh round of such hearings.

from Asia
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