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Letters | Why the fuss about Fukushima water is a Chinese storm in a teacup
- Readers discuss the politics of the radioactive water dump, management of the US-China competition, Fukushima-induced panic buying, and the safety of the radioactive water
Reading Time:3 minutes
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The release of treated radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been seized upon by China to discredit Japan.
Cognisant of the need to put aside historical discord, repair ties and face threats posed by China and North Korea, Japan and South Korea have signed on to a trilateral pact with the United States. For Beijing, the Camp David pact might be its worst fear come true and the prospect of an expanded alliance in the form of perhaps an Asian Nato could further harden Chinese attitudes.
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Japan is lifting its defence readiness and drawing up one of the world’s biggest defence budgets, as part of a strategic review prompted by concerns about North Korea, China and Russia.
Now, amid growing tensions in the South China Sea, the release of radioactive water is clearly being used as a pretext to discredit Japan.
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After a two-year review, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, said the release of the water would have a “negligible radiological impact” on people and the environment.
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