For the US, Japan is the friend who can do no wrong – even when it’s dumping radioactive waste water into the ocean

The US has stood by its ally even as regional governments and environmental activists raised concerns over the decision to dump 1 million tonnes of Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean
Washington’s quick support for Tokyo has sparked accusations that environmental concerns are trumped by US strategic considerations

Maria Siow

Published: 6:00am, 16 Apr 2021

Why you can trust SCMP

Even as environmental groups and other countries in the region expressed anger with Japan this week over the controversial announcement that it would dump radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the ocean, the United States has chosen to throw its weight behind its ally.

Washington could well have remained silent. But its quick support for Japan – set against the views of regional governments, environmental experts and activists – has sparked accusations that strategic considerations trump environmental concerns for the US.

Tokyo has said it can remove all the strontium and caesium from the 1 million tonnes of waste water it plans to discharge into the Pacific Ocean in two years time, but the tritium – a less radioactive material that poses little risk to human health in low concentrations – will remain.

02:58

Japan’s plan to release radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into sea sparks outrage

Environmental organisation Greenpeace East Asia has warned that the waste water could damage the marine environment, and the environmental organisation has said it will support countries challenging Japan’s decision.

Even Japanese fishermen have expressed anger and frustration, fearing their decade-long efforts to restore the fishing industry in the region devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster will now be for nought.

China warns of action over Japan’s Fukushima waste water decision

China has described the move as “extremely irresponsible”, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying “the oceans are not Japan’s trash can, and the Pacific Ocean is not Japan’s sewer”.

In remarks that drew a thunderous roar of approval from Chinese social media users, Zhao added: “Japan should not expect the world to pay the bill for its treatment of waste water. As for the individual Japanese official’s remarks that the water is OK to drink, why doesn’t he take a sip first?”

South Korea expressed “strong regret”, summoned Tokyo’s ambassador to Seoul, and is expected to petition the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over the decision.

02:47

South Korea aims to fight Japan’s Fukushima decision in world tribunal

Taiwan’s Atomic Energy Council expressed opposition and regret over Tokyo’s planned actions, while the Pacific Islands Forum headquartered in Fiji expressed “deep concerns” and the International Atomic Energy Agency called for environmental concerns to be taken “seriously”.

However, in a brief statement on its website, the US State Department said Tokyo had “been transparent about its decision and appears to have adopted an approach in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards”, without providing any evidence to back up this claim.

The endorsement was issued even though Japan’s cabinet has not yet met to work out the details of the plan, and amid claims that Asia’s second-largest economy has not exhausted all other avenues for the waste water’s safe disposal.

How Japan could find itself dragged into a US-China conflict over Taiwan

As Washington’s best and staunchest Asian ally, it appears that Japan can do no wrong. The country is pivotal to US efforts aimed at containing China’s rise and countering the threat Beijing is seen as posing to the liberal international order.

During Friday’s meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden, Washington is counting on Tokyo supporting a joint statement showcasing a unified stance on China, especially in addressing the threats posed by Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas.

Washington’s message is plain and simple, it seems: that even in the face of strategic difficulties, a quid pro quo can be expected while scientific appraisals and environmental evaluations can be overlooked. Friendship truly is a many-splendoured thing.