ASEAN Takes No Stand on Fukushima Nuclear Waste
All official ASEAN documents and statements do not mention Japan's plan to dispose of the Fukushima nuclear power plant waste into the Pacific.
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Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Policy Commission of the Communist Party of China, Wang Yi (left), South Korean Foreign Minister, Park Jin (center), and Japanese Foreign Minister, Hayashi Toshimasa, participated in ASEAN+3 on Thursday (13/7/2023).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS - ASEAN has not shown an official and clear stance on Japan's plan to dispose of 1.3 million tons of radioactively polluted water. Of the 28 countries attending the series of meetings in Jakarta this week, only three discussed the plan.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan confirmed that Foreign Minister of Japan, Hayashi Yoshimasa, explained it to a number of his colleagues. The explanation was given to the Foreign Minister of South Korea, Park Jin, Foreign Minister of Australia, Penny Wong, and the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN. Hayashi also explained the issue to the Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission (CFAC) of the Communist Party of China, Wang Yi. "The explanation was given on several occasions," said the official who refused to be identified on Friday (147/2023) night in Jakarta.
Hayashi attended the series of ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and related meetings in Jakarta. Besides the multilateral forum, the Japanese Foreign Minister also met with some of his colleagues in a bilateral forum. "With some foreign ministers, Minister Hayashi has met a few times besides in Jakarta," said the official. Various issues were discussed by Hayashi and his colleagues in the series of meetings. One of them is about the agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the disposal of radioactive contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
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The official explanation was conveyed to ASEAN by Hayashi in the ASEAN+3 (APT) forum, which was attended by ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea. Tokyo claimed that there were no real objections to Hayashi's presentation in the APT.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (left) talks with Director of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Policy of the Communist Party of China, Wang Yi (right) at the 24th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting (APT FMM) in Jakarta on Thursday (13/7/2023).
The claim made by Japan is in line with the documents issued by ASEAN and Indonesia. During her speech at the opening of the APT, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi did not mention the Fukushima issue. The AMM communique, which was issued a few hours before the APT began, also did not discuss the Fukushima issue.
The nuclear issue discussed by ASEAN is the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea. Another nuclear issue is related to ASEAN's push for nuclear-weapon owning countries to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) protocol.
China Objections
According to Tokyo, objections to Hayashi's explanation were only conveyed by Wang. According to the statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang requested that Japan address the concerns of various parties. Moreover, these concerns were based on scientific testing. Japan was asked to seriously consider the anxieties of several countries regarding the plan to dispose of radioactive waste.
According to a Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, Hayashi responded to Wang's comment by suggesting the use of a scientific approach. Tokyo objects to the use of the term "radioactive contaminated water." Tokyo urges various parties to use the term "treated water" to refer to the 1.3 million tons of water that have been exposed to radiation from the Fukushima reactor core.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (left) has a talk with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (right) during the 24th Meeting of ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers (APT FMM) in Jakarta on Thursday (July 13, 2023).
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China's concern is not only based on scientific data. Beijing also highlights the fact that Tokyo is preparing billions of yen in subsidies for the fishing and seafood industry in Fukushima. "If zero contaminated water discharge is not dangerous, why consider the impact on the fishing industry in Fukushima?" he said during a briefing on Friday afternoon in Beijing.
The provision of subsidies is a clear indication that Japan knows that there is something wrong with its plan to dispose of 1.3 million tons of radioactive waste. "Up to 40 percent of the Japanese population and neighboring Pacific nations oppose the disposal plan. Not only China, but also South Korea, Russia, Pacific island nations, and even Peru reject it. Unfortunately, Japan has not paid attention to it," he said as quoted by Xinhua.
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He mentioned that Japan uses money to suppress protests domestically. Meanwhile, for people outside of the country, Japan chooses to ignore various objections.
Unlike ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) has long rejected Japan's plan to dispose of radioactive waste. Based on the research of expert teams accompanying PIF, it is concluded that the disposal is not entirely safe. Japan has not been able to answer a number of questions regarding the danger of radioactive waste disposal.
