Although the issue of contaminated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant did not become an official agenda item at the Korea-US-Japan and Korea-Japan summits, attention is focused on the release timing as it is discussed separately at the US-Japan summits. Observers say that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who actually received approval for the discharge of contaminated water from the United States and South Korea on the occasion of this summit, could decide on the timing of the discharge at a cabinet meeting on the 22nd at the earliest.
At the Korea-US-Japan Summit held at Camp David in the early morning of the 19th in our time, the issue of handling contaminated water from Fukushima was not discussed much. However, it was discussed through a joint press conference, Q&A, and the US-Japan Summit.
The Korea-US-Japan summit was promoted to accelerate security and economic cooperation between Korea, the US and Japan amidst the conflict between the US and China, but the biggest pending issue from Japan’s point of view was the ‘contaminated water’ issue. During the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake , TEPCO’s poor initial response resulted in a meltdown phenomenon, and Japan has been suffering for more than 10 years due to the problem of handling contaminated water. In fact, the Japanese media showed a lot of interest even before the Korea-US-Japan summit was held, presenting various observations such as that the issue of ‘contaminated water’ would rise to the official agenda. Japanese media predicted that the contaminated water issue would be adopted as an agenda for the Korea-US-Japan summit, but it did not become an official agenda item. However, in terms of discussing ‘joint countermeasures against fake news related to contaminated water’ at the US-Japan summit, which was held separately, it is analyzed that it enjoyed the same effect as the adoption of the official agenda.
The Korean government also explained that the contaminated water issue was not on the official agenda in a separate briefing before the summit, but it could not avoid questions about contaminated water in the Q&A that followed the joint press conference between the leaders of the US and Japan.
When asked if there was an explanation about the contaminated water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant at the Korea-US-Japan Summit, President Yoon Seok-yeol said, “Contaminated water was not on the agenda of today’s meeting.” “he said. At the same time, he said, “I trust the inspection results of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) with public confidence.” Earlier , at the Korea-Japan summit held in Lithuania on the occasion of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO · NATO) summit on the 12th of last month, President Yoon said, “I respect the announcement of the IAEA .” In response, Prime Minister Kishida replied, “After the start of ocean release, we will receive review from the IAEA and promptly publicize monitoring information implemented by Japan with high transparency.” After the IAEA
released the final report on the 4th of last month to the effect that ‘the safety standards are met’ for the discharge process of contaminated water, Japan has been fighting public opinion for the discharge, claiming that it has received ‘scientific verification’ from the IAEA .
The Korea-Japan summit, held separately from the Korea-US-Japan summit, lasted about 20 minutes. However, according to a press release from the Presidential Office, the contaminated water issue did not rise to the agenda of the bilateral talks between Korea and Japan.
Instead, US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida안전놀이터 discussed the issue of contaminated water at a bilateral meeting between the United States and Japan. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Prime Minister Kishida thanked the
US side for expressing support and understanding for Japan’s response to the ALPS treatment water. In addition, the two leaders exchanged views on cooperation in preventing the spread of false information regarding contaminated water that has passed through the multi-nuclide removal facility, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
Although the contaminated water issue was not on the official agenda of the Korea-US-Japan Summit, it was mentioned through bilateral talks between the US and Japan and through President Yoon’s Q&A, and in effect, it enjoyed effects comparable to those on the official agenda.
In this atmosphere, Prime Minister Kishida, who declared that he would release the contaminated water within ‘this summer’, is expected to start discharging it sooner or later. According to Japanese media, after returning home that afternoon, Prime Minister Kishida is considering a plan to inspect the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the 20th. In addition, it is expected that a cabinet meeting will be held on the 22nd at the earliest to determine the timing of releasing contaminated water into the ocean.
In Japan, weight is being placed on the prospect that the contaminated water will be released between the end of this month and the middle of next month. Analysts say that considering Prime Minister Kishida’s work to persuade fishermen near Fukushima Prefecture, who oppose the discharge of contaminated water, and diplomatic schedules, the middle of next month is considered the bottom line.
An official from Greenpeace said in a phone call with CBS No Cut News, “If you look at Japan’s behavior so far, there is a side to starting the implementation one to two weeks later than the date announced externally.” ” said