Arab News Japan

TOKYO: More than 200 people demonstrated in front of the official residence of Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio on Thursday against the discharge of contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The discharge of treated water from the nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean started on August 24 in the face of protests from China, South Korea and within Japan.

Backed by the Zenroren trade union and several political leaders, representatives of fishing federations and Fukushima reconstruction officials urged the Prime Minister to stop the discharge of water into the sea.

Three representatives from the Fukushima region involved in agriculture and fishing, including NOGI Shigeo, a representative of the unions involved in reconstruction after the nuclear accident, strongly protested.

While the Japanese government has been trying to reassure the population that the process of filtering and diluting the radioactive contamination is safe, doubts remain.

Representatives of farmers’ and fishermen’s unions said they understood the concerns of Chinese and Hong Kong consumers. They said they had refused promises of compensation out of pride in their profession and because they wanted to continue fishing.

They regretted that the boycott of products from Japan had been decided because the government and plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) were unable to provide guarantees that food products will not be contaminated.

The protesters later moved to Japan’s parliament to file a petition with an official of the Ministry of Industry where they asked the government to halt the discharge and submitted a petition signed by 71,617 people.

They urged the government to stop “lying” to fishermen and to ensure the health and safety of fishermen and consumers.