By HAJIME UENO/ Staff Writer
August 24, 2023 at 17:38 JST
Protesters standing in front of Tokyo Electric Power Co. headquarters in Chiyoda Ward on Aug. 24 hold up a sign telling the utility not to release polluted water into the ocean. (Tatsuya Shimada)
About 400 people on Aug. 24 gathered in front of the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co. to protest the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Holding up signs saying, “Do not pollute the ocean of life,” various speakers took the microphone in Chiyoda Ward to voice their opposition to the water-discharge plan, which started on Aug. 24 in Fukushima Prefecture.
One asked if TEPCO executives did not feel the slightest compunction over the release of the water.
Another pointed to the promise made by TEPCO and the government not to discharge the treated water until understanding was obtained from related parties.
“While there will be negative publicity about fish, I am worried about the long-term effects on health,” a 71-year-old man from Tokyo’s Suginami Ward said. “I came to raise my voice to stop the discharge because I did not want TEPCO to make another mistake.”
A 78-year-old woman from Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, said: “I came because I am so angry and disconsolate. After making it impossible for so many Fukushima residents to live on land passed down through the generations, they are now dumping the water into the ocean. I want to say to TEPCO ‘open your eyes.’”
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