Arab News Japan

TOKYO: NGO groups, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, and citizens of Fukushima have presented a petition to a government official against the April 13 decision to discharge tritium-polluted water from the Fukushima plant.

The petition was signed by 64,431 signatories including 311 non-governmental associations from more than 88 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and neighboring countries of Japan.

There was no mention of the names of those signed the petition from Arab countries.

In their written statement, distributed to the media in Tokyo, including Arab News Japan, the citizens’ associations behind the petition regret that TEPCO and the Japanese government ignored the views of citizens and experts calling for alternative solutions to avoid marine pollution.

The citizens proposed building solidified, anti-seismic tanks on new land near the plant and they advocated the solution of solidifying the water polluted with tritium.

During the handing over of the petition, the citizens of Namie, Aizu Wakamatsu and Koriyama urged the government official not to discharge the tritium polluted water into the ocean.

During a press conference, a citizen of Namie compared the situation with the Lucky Dragon fishermen who were impacted by an American nuclear test in the Pacific Ocean.

Hundreds of Japanese people outside parliament gathered to protest the move as a Fukushima cattle breeder shouted hostile slogans against the government decision from his truck as he drove around.