now the build-up of contaminated water
at Fukushima has been a sticking point
in the cleanup which is likely to last
decades especially as Olympics are due
to be held in Tokyo this year with some
events less than 60 kilometers from the
wrecked plant a panel of experts
advising Japan's government on a
disposal method of for radioactive water
from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear
plant has recommended releasing it into
the ocean rather than letting it
evaporate it's a move that according to
a poll released by one of Japan's
leading dailies more than half of the
Japanese people surveyed are against now
yomiuri shimbun surveyed 1073 Japanese
over 18 years old eligible to vote over
the weekend which found that 59% of them
were against the idea while 27 percent
were in favor the Tokyo Electric Company
which operates Fukushima nuclear plant
is currently treating and storing
contaminated water in tanks on site the
company has predicted that the storage
space for water will run out by 2022 and
Japanese officials have said that their
decision on how to deal with this
contaminated water could come before the
Tokyo Olympics Japan's disposal of
radioactive water from the discharged
Fukushima nuclear power plant and the
environmental threat it poses the topic
of our knees in depth tonight with Mary
Chan climate and energy campaigner for
Greenpeace East Asia in at the Seoul
office
Maria welcome to the program thank you
for having me again now I'm after
narrowing the choices to either
releasing it to the Pacific Ocean or
letting it evaporate it looks like the
Japanese government will accept that the
experts panels recommendation and opt
for the former now that appears to be
the general consensus but tell us which
method in your view will the Japanese
government adopt and and is one method
more favorable over the another well we
can say that the Japan government will
take away I mean the method which you
will be discharging the contamination
water to the ocean because they have
been prepared to discharging the water
and the committee process it's something
like you are officially
that you have been made this decision
based on the consensus and the process
of the committee right so they are
preparing for discharging water to the
ocean and they are also saying that it's
easier for them and it's more doable for
them in under the circumstances at the
time so we are thinking that they will
go for discharging now on this expert
panel
what kind of members is this comprised
of there are variety of the composition
of the member it's experts on nuclear
and and some technology regarding it
processing the water inside of nuclear
power plants and also some ones like
from NGOs like Greenpeace and so they
were regularly opening this committee to
talk about is what will be the best
method to control this water but
regardless of the concerns and opinions
are with other experts who opposed to
discharging the water the Japan
government has never really answered to
them properly but they just keep going
for what they are looking forward to do
which is the discharging the water into
the ocean
no definitely something alarming
especially to neighboring countries like
South Korea of course Seoul has retained
a ban on the imports of seafood from
Japan's Fukushima region which was
imposed - right after the nuclear
disaster it's also summoned a senior
Japanese embassy official last year to
ask for an explanation as to how this
Fukushima contaminated water will be
dealt with now since bringing it to the
IAEA General Assembly last September I
know that South Korea has been doing its
best to raise global awareness on this
issue and and perhaps seeking
international efforts now where are we
in terms of that well Korea governments
has widely accepted the suggestion made
by Greenpeace which is going out there
and participate in IAEA and UN Human
Rights councils and I am omitting and
raised up this issue and to
international society
which was good actually in in terms of
showing direction but it's not good
enough we are now demanding to Korea
government to open and disclosure what
was a result of the meeting and
discussion between Japan government
otherwise Korean people like me has no
way to figure out what's really going on
and what has been done and what will be
coming next months you know so that's
already one of the demands that we are
looking forward to so that's it right
right so the Greenpeace is demanding the
South Korean government disclose the
basically the meeting minutes between
this government and the Japanese
government on this issue now a message
were East Japan is set to host one of
the biggest international sporting
events in the world the Summer Olympics
and Paralympics in about five months
time what does it mean to host the
Olympics and Paralympics in the context
of an ongoing nuclear disaster the
effects of which are still being felt by
tens of thousands of Japanese living
there as well as those who will be
visiting that place well we all know
that Japan government is trying to using
this opportunity to say that they are
just you know out of nightmare Fukushima
accidents happening a nine years ago
which is not true and which is not
affect and it is really not proper for
Japan government to saying something
unreal to you know to compare to the
reality of the people who are having
suffer in that region so that is the
reason why Greenpeace has been fighting
to you know speak about unseen visited
by you know damages and measured by the
Fukushima accident now so when do we
expect this release to take place I mean
Tokyo lectured the operator of the
Fukushima nuclear power plant has said
that it will run out of room to store
this contaminated water by year 2022 now
that's unless much time with another
solution perhaps well they are using
this year - to discuss it with their
Fukushima community people because the
community people are just opposed to
this charging plan so that is something
that you know Japan government demand it
like we need to conclude it before - 20
you know 2022 but that is not true they
still have room to it and comparing the
resort consequences between discharging
it into water and storing it into the
Kashima Daiichi plant it's just not
comparable it should be restored in a in
a plant until it's safe which is
required to be you know more than you
know hundred years or hundreds old years
so it's just just a single explanation
made by Japan government so what other
solutions do we have what does
greenpeace propose that the japanese
government does or TEPCO does with this
contaminated water well I mean it's not
just about a suggestion to TEPCO the
Korea government should raise this issue
to the kepco and Japan government
directly but on the other hand they
really need to think about filing the
case you know to the International Code
so that they can really make some strong
measure to stop discharging this water
to the ocean
so are you just for the average people
are you saying that letting it evaporate
would be better than releasing it no
nothing better - I mean they can't just
the contaminated water never should
never go into any condition of
environments cannot be the air cannot be
into the ocean so that is already meant
they just need to store it yes in - in
their you know nuclear power plant okay
so keep it stored there yes
no not only that but the area appears to
be highly radioactive still I mean the
route of the Olympic torch relay and all
the municipalities of Fukushima
Prefecture includes the districts of
autonomy and oakum
where I know that your colleagues at
Greenpeace Japan has discovered
radioactive hot spots now what can and
should be done to decontaminate these
areas and is it impossible to thoroughly
and completely decontaminate these areas
so that does not pose any kind of a
threat to the athletes and many visitors
as well as the residents there well I
was worser there in Fukushima the last
November and October well we are keeping
saying that just total decontamination
is impossible during a several hundred
years because there are lots of
radioactivity in the woods and forests
where they cannot really get
contaminated so there is not a single
answer for what they should do but what
they can do is that they just they just
evacuate people not just living near to
the you know those areas are still under
the contamination that is the only way
that they can avoid more damaging to the
local community and society so basically
evacuate all those residents who are
living nearby these areas yeah but they
are just doing opposed Allah which are
inviting more people living you know
come back to their region which are
still you know poisoned and contaminated
by radioactivity that is most dangerous
thing that government could do right the
rest of the world however have been
informed that the Japanese government
and the Tokyo Electric had removed the
hotspots near J village the starting
point of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics torch
relay how is it possible that
radioactive contamination at J village
is still not under control even after
the removal of these hot spots I mean
this is just very symbolic telling you
how the situation is not under the
control I saw something like what how
Japan government is doing dealing with
Corona right now is that they are just
keep saying that you know everything is
just under control which is not you know
true and well J village has been
the company decontaminated for a few
years but they're still hot spots are
there and we did our monitoring survey
there over only two hours and we find
hot spots the highest one was 71
microsievert which is really high and
that something should not be found in
those public area because every village
have been open to the public for years
and they are still opening so when
Greenpeace has fine has found these hot
spots we Center that a letter to the
government so that they can do the
contamination work but they don't do it
Roley
they just removed those hot spots that
really not notice is that which is not
so sufficient right so there is a you
know that is just telling you how this
who Kashima radioactivity is really
danger and not on the control by Japan
so basically every time you find a new
hotspot they come and remove it and then
you would go back and find more hot
spots is that correct oh well yeah
that's something that we need to tell
which is that we have sent our letter
about hot spots among a different areas
we have written this letter to Japan
governments hundred times but this J
village hospital was the first time they
reacted oh is that right okay know if
it's realistically impossible for Japan
to independently carry out a floor and
complete decontamination of this area it
sounds to me that the rest of the world
needs to come together to collectively
take up a matter in dealing with this
problem what appears to be the biggest
issue here I mean what cannon needs to
be done at this stage well to do that I
think Korea government's responsibility
is really important well because we are
the nearest country and we should be the
speaker you know out to the
International Society letting them know
what's really going on in Japan because
since we are nearest country we have
more
to raise this issue directly to Japan
government and demands specific
objective that we are you know hoping to
hear we're hoping to solve a problem by
Japan government so I think Korea
government should take reading law to to
let this problem to the international
society I think that is the first step
so yeah we need to take that first so
raising more global awareness on this
issue so it looks like Japan certainly
has a handful to deal with especially
now with the corona virus outbreak as
well leading up to the Tokyo Olympics
especially all right Mary Chan climate
and energy campaigner for Greenpeace
East Asia here in so many things to you
for your valuable insights this evening
we appreciate it thank you
