Minimize damage on our fishing industry

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has delivered to the Japanese government the UN agency’s final report on the scheduled discharge of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific. In the review by its task force, the IAEA evaluated Japan’s plan to treat the water as being “appropriate.” With the finding, the hot-button issue of releasing the treated water into the ocean has entered a new phase.

Grossi is scheduled to visit Seoul from Friday to Sunday to meet the chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and the foreign minister. In that meeting, he shares technical information on the treatment facilities in Fukushima. The government plans to announce the results of its own review by Korean experts since 2021 to brace for the discharge. The results also include the findings by the inspection team sent to the plant in Fukushima to collect information on treating the contaminated water.

The government must accurately explain what was contained in the IAEA report and seek understanding from the people. The administration and the People Power Party (PPP) pledged to not import fish and other maritime produce from Fukushima with no time limit to help ensure public safety. But actions speak louder than words. The government must come up with effective measures to prevent fishermen and others involved in the maritime business from suffering critical damage from the spread of wild rumors.

Food safety is an important issue. And yet, it must not be used as a means for political attacks against opponents. Even before the IAEA announces its final report, the Democratic Party (DP) criticized it for being a “Japan-demanded report” or a “political review.” Massive rallies orchestrated by the DP to oppose the discharge are not desirable, but at the same time the PPP’s farcical moves to eat sashimi at local fish restaurants to suggest no health risks also went overboard.

Tokyo reportedly plans to release the treated water this summer. The discharge continues for the next 30 years. As the IAEA report does not mean the end of it, we must respond to the leakage over the long haul. Given the possibility of a technical error in the process of discharging the water, the government must keep emergency in its mind. Both countries need to establish a communication channel on a permanent basis.

Foreign ministers of the two countries will have a meeting on the sidelines of the July 13-14 Asian Regional Forum (ARF) in Jakarta, Indonesia. We hope they deepen communication and mutual trust by installing something like a “Fukushima hotline.” The time has come for the government to do its best to minimize deepening concerns among the people, including fishermen.