Topic

Fukushima nuclear disaster and water releasei

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, following a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, which claimed nearly 19,000 lives.

Japan is now looking to dump the treated radioactive waste water into the sea, stirring debates and boycotts at home and abroad.

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  • Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the recent meeting between two nations’ leaders points to healthy, stable development, according to Japanese reports
  • Komeito Party chief Natsuo Yamaguchi faces formidable issues, including Fukushima, alleged spying and territorial disputes, as he leads delegation to China
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Defence and maritime security cooperation – and US$6.3 billion worth of investment – were also discussed during the Japanese prime minister’s visit to Malaysia at the weekend.

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China’s seafood ban and reports of its impact on the Japanese fishing industry may have tempered local criticism of the water release and encouraged people to eat more seafood from Fukushima.

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The Fukushima nuclear plant expects to release 7,800 tons of treated water into the ocean, between now and November 20 – the same amount as the first two rounds of discharges.

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Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan stresses ban in response to Japan’s radioactive waste water discharge important for protecting residents’ health.

Top Japanese diplomat Okada Kenichi says it’s ‘heartbreaking’ to hear Japanese businesses in Hong Kong say sales have dropped ‘because of rumours’.

The first purchase of seafood by the US under the scheme involves just shy of a tonne of scallops – a tiny fraction of more than 100,000 tonnes of scallops that Japan exported to mainland China last year.

The incident occurred when a group of workers was cleaning the piping at a waste water filtering facility that is key to the treatment of the radioactive waste water.

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Ambassador Rahm Emanuel accuses Beijing, which has banned import of Japanese fish, of a double standard, saying China is fishing in the same waters.

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IAEA to test water, sediment and seafood after second discharge from stricken plant, in the first inter-lab marine mission to include a Chinese lab.

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Japan’s foreign ministry said it would ‘strongly demand’ the withdrawal of import restrictions Russia introduced nearly two months after the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant started releasing waste water.

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Japan is stepping up promotions of its seafood products in Southeast Asia but some consumers remain sceptical about Tokyo’s food-safety assurances post-Fukushima.

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The crippled nuclear plant’s operator Tepco will release 7,800 tonnes of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days.

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A spokesman for Pyongyang’s nuclear industry described an IAEA resolution calling for the North to curb its nuclear programmes as a ‘result of conspiracy’ by the US and its allies.

From radiation readings at the Fukushima power plant not adding up to Singapore dethroning Hong Kong as the world’s freest economy, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.