S. Korean lawmakers, Japanese activists rally against nuclear wastewater dumping plan

This photo taken on July 10, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan, shows South Korean and Japanese people protesting against Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge plan (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

TOKYO, July 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korean opposition lawmakers and fishermen, together with Japanese civic activists, held a protest rally on Monday in Tokyo to oppose the planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, demanding that the Japanese government scrap its plans.

About 20 demonstrators from South Korea were at the day's rally in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence, including members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and non-partisan members. They wore clothes and carried signs with the same slogan: "Our sea, let's protect it together."

The discharge of Fukushima radioactive water goes beyond Japan's national interests and will lead to the contamination of seawater all over the world, which is an act against the world and humanity, said Ju Cheol-hyeon, a member of South Korea's National Assembly.

South Korean fishermen representative Ryang Wun-tek said that the Japanese government's ocean discharge plan will lead to irreparable and serious consequences and will undoubtedly have a major impact on the world, demanding that until a safe solution is found, the Japanese government must stop the plan.

As soon as the South Korean lawmakers arrived in Japan on Monday, they immediately came to the prime minister's residence in Tokyo to participate in the protest rally.

During their three-day stay in Japan, they also planned to make a protest visit to Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regional office in Tokyo, and stage a sit-in in front of the National Diet of Japan.

Yasunari Fujimoto, from the Peace Forum citizen's group, said that it is of special significance to hold a protest with South Korean lawmakers here today, stressing that the opinions of other countries along the Pacific Rim are very important, and the Japanese government must listen to the views of these countries.

Under the scorching sun in Tokyo, South Korean lawmakers, joined by Japanese people, shouted in both Korean and Japanese: "Stop the ocean release!" "Don't pollute the sea!"■