Protesters try to storm the Japanese embassy in Seoul – 08/24/2023 – World

South Korean police arrested 16 demonstrators on Thursday (24) after storming a building in Seoul that houses the Japanese embassy. The group was protesting the dumping of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, in action that generates concern and motivates protests.

The demonstration took place on the same day that Japan began dumping water into the sea, despite opposition from neighboring countries — China, for example, banned the import of Japanese seafood.

The dumping of the equivalent of 540 Olympic swimming pools of water comes almost 12 years after one of the worst nuclear accidents in Japan’s history, caused by a strong earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands in 2011. The government says it is necessary to dispose of the water for safety reasons. security.

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which approved Japan’s plan, is overseeing the eviction and says the process complies with “international safety standards”. Also according to the agency, the action will have a “negligible impact on the population and the environment”.

But the IAEA’s opinion was not enough to quell the protests. In South Korea, around 50 protesters gathered outside the Japanese embassy. “The sea is not Japan’s dustbin”, read one of the posters displayed by the activists, who shouted “stop releasing contaminated water”.

Witnesses claim that part of the group went up to the eighth floor of the building where the Japanese embassy is located, but did not get to enter the representation. A Reuters photographer reported that police dragged the protesters out of the venue and put them on a bus. A delegate from Jongno in Seoul said the 16 people were arrested on charges of trespassing.

In South Korea, the discharge of wastewater from the nuclear power plant has been raising concern among the population, especially among fishermen, although the Yoon Suk-yeol government has expressed support for Japan’s plan. The two countries have started to approach each other after decades of estrangement.

South Korean Premier Han Duck-soo has called on the Japanese government to release information on the water discharge “in a transparent and responsible manner for the next 30 years”. The Chinese regime, on the other hand, adopted a tougher tone, accusing Japan of serving “selfish interests”. Chinese customs released a statement expressing concern about the risk of “radioactive contamination brought by food and agricultural products from Japan”. Shortly afterwards, Beijing banned the importation of seafood.

The ban expands the list of restrictions on Japanese products in China. Beijing had already stopped food imports from 10 of Japan’s 47 municipalities in July. Hong Kong and Macau have taken similar initiatives.

“The Japanese side must not cause secondary harm to the local people and even the people of the world due to its own selfish interests,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. North Korea’s regime also said Japan should “immediately suspend” the eviction.

International pressure, however, was not enough for the Japanese government to change plans. Operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said the release of water began at 1:03 pm local time, and officials identified no abnormalities.

A live feed from the plant operator showed the company’s engineers working on computers as a supervisor announced, after a countdown, the opening of valves near the water transfer pumps.

Tokyo criticized China for spreading what it called “scientifically unsubstantiated claims”. The Japanese government ordered Beijing to lift the ban on seafood imports and seek a “discussion on the impact of releasing water based on science”, according to Premier Fumio Kishida.

The first discharge of wastewater, totaling 7,800 cubic meters – equivalent to about three Olympic-sized swimming pools of water – will take place over 17 days, according to the Japanese plan.