#GreenParty Statement on #Fukushima

August 3, 2023

"The Green Party of the United States (#GPUS) and the Green Party of Hawai’i stand in solidarity with our fellow #Greens in #Japan and #SouthKorea when calling for the end of the near-shore release of 1.33 million tons of contaminated water from the #FukushimaDaiichi #nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The Green Party of the United States and the Green Party of Hawai’i urges the Government of #Japan to respect existing international treaties that ban the releasing of nuclear waste into the oceans. We also join the Green Party Korea and the Greens Japan in calling for the cancellation of ocean releasing plans. For this, we call for a public review of methods of on-land storage such as 'large tank storage' and 'mortar solidification treatment'.

"Up to this point, independent review has not been allowed. We demand a public, independent review and the citizens of the Asia-Pacific have a right to know about the safety of such release.

"Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has long concerned themselves with #profit. TEPCO is one of many #corporations that internalizes profits and externalizes their losses. We call shame upon TEPCO for their unwillingness to listen to the general public in #EastAsia and take their concerns seriously.

"Kim Yeon-cheol, executive chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen's Associations in South Korea said, 'In South Korea, people who feel uneasy about releasing marine products into the sea are already refraining from consuming seafood. We should not catch and provide seafood until it has been verified that it is completely safe.'

"The majority of the public in South Korea and Japan does not trust the International Atomic Energy Association (#IAEA)’s report finding the release of #contaminated water safe. This report has not even completed sample analysis of contaminated water. We encourage the IAEA to build that trust network with the Nation Federation of Fishermen’s Associations of South Korea and the Fishermen’s Union of Fukushima Japan and listen to their concerns about livelihood.

"The Green Party of the United States urges TEPCO and IAEA to gain the trust of the public. Currently, TEPCO and IAEA’s incentives lie in keeping profits and protecting the leadership of the right-wing, nationalist Japanese government instead of the concerns of the average Korean, Japanese, Chinese, or Taiwanese citizen. Let’s create an East Asia and a world where the average person can live free of the worry about food safety."

#Hawaii #HawaiiGreens #NoDumping #FukushimaWater #TEPCOLies #PacificOcean #WaterIsLife #Corporatism #Corruption #JapanGovernment

Full article and FMI:
https://www.gp.org/statement_on_fukushima