Statement

On April 9, the government of Japan reportedly decided to discharge into the sea the contaminated water containing high level of tritium that remains after the treatment of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. We firmly protest against this decision.

The release of radioactive materials into the environment should be avoided at all costs for safety reasons and other concerns. At the same time, concerning the issue of harmful rumors, the opinions of local residents and people in the fishing industry should be taken as critical and important. National Federation of Japan Fisheries Cooperatives (JF Zengyoren), which has already been hit hard by the disaster, expressed its "strong opposition" to the plan. This must not be ignored or slighted. The government and TEPCO should give maximum respect to the health and living of the local people, as well as the issue of safety, and sustain a system for managing and storing contaminated water for the time being.

The Japan Council against A and H Bombs, as a movement calling for zero nuclear power plants (decommissioning), a shift to renewable energy and the eradication of radiation damage, earnestly demands that the government should retract the planned discharge of contaminated water into the sea and that measures be taken in light of the above points.