The always "big mouth" Taro Aso claimed that "there will be nothing wrong if you drink that water", and the Japanese people angrily said "Drink Aso-san."
| Author: Changxia
| Editor: Aye
| Editor and reviewer: Lauinger
Ten years after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (hereinafter referred to as "Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant"), controversy has arisen again.
html On April 13, the Japanese government officially decided to discharge the nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident directly into the sea. The direct reason is that the storage tank for the nuclear wastewater is "about to run out." It also claimed that the nuclear wastewater has been filtered and diluted and is harmless to humans.
However, Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, who has always been outspoken, perhaps eager to show that the Japanese government’s decision “makes sense”, blurted out at the press conference that day, “It’s okay to drink that water.”
His words are an endorsement of the so-called "nuclear wastewater is harmless."
Taro Aso comes from a prominent family. He has been criticized for complaining that Japanese people only save money and do not consume. He has also been criticized by Japanese public opinion for telling elderly patients with diseases to "die faster".
However, Aso’s remarks this time made the public even more angry than those before. Some Japanese netizens said: "Aso-san, drink one in front of everyone." Another netizen "suggested" Aso to "set an example and use polluted water sources for cooking and drinking as beverages and domestic water."
html On April 14, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when asked to comment on Taro Aso’s remarks, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian said: “Individual Japanese officials said that it is okay to drink this water, so let him drink it. Say it again.”
Nuclear wastewater flows into the sea, the most "economical" solution
Behind Aso's "big mouth" is Japan's "small calculation". He told the calculation of Japanese cabinet "decided to discharge (nuclear wastewater) into the sea": "Otherwise, we would have to add more water storage tanks, and (now) we can save money." He even said, "From a scientific point of view "Let's go", Japan should have implemented a plan to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea long ago.
· Taro Aso said it was okay to drink the Fukushima nuclear wastewater. Picture from All Nippon News Network.
sets the time back ten years ago. On the afternoon of March 11, 2011, an unprecedented magnitude 9 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan. The tsunami caused by the earthquake killed 18,000 people and forced nearly 500,000 people to leave their homes.
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was also greatly damaged by the tsunami. The cooling system failed, and the cores of reactors from No. 1 to 3 melted down, causing a nuclear leak. This became the world's most serious nuclear accident after the Chernobyl nuclear leak in 1986.
In order to cool the reactor core and prevent the accident from getting worse, Fukushima nuclear power plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (hereinafter referred to as "TEPCO") has been using seawater to cool reactors 1 to 3 for ten years.
After flowing through the reactor unit, the seawater becomes extremely radioactive nuclear wastewater, which cannot be reused or directly discharged into the sea. Therefore, TEPCO has built a large number of storage tanks to store nuclear wastewater.
However, such an approach is only a stopgap measure.
Seawater plus rainwater and incoming groundwater require huge storage space. As of March this year, Fukushima has produced 1.25 million tons of nuclear wastewater, and it is still increasing at a rate of 140 tons per day.
According to TEPCO, existing storage tanks will be fully filled by the fall of 2022, and there will be no more open space in Fukushima to build new storage tanks. Therefore, after discussion at a cabinet meeting on the 13th, the Japanese government decided to discharge nuclear wastewater directly into the Pacific Ocean in two years.
· Nuclear wastewater storage tank at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Image source: Xinhua News Agency.
Regarding nuclear wastewater treatment, the Japanese government organized expert discussions and solicited five options: pumping into deep underground, evaporation release, electrolysis into hydrogen release, underground burial, and discharge into the sea.
In February last year, the relevant advisory committee of the Japanese government stated that there is a risk of wastewater leakage when pumping into deep underground; the technology of electrolysis to release hydrogen is not mature enough; and it is difficult to find a suitable landfill for underground burial. Taken together, the two options of discharge into the sea and evaporation release are the most feasible.
In the 1986 Chernobyl and 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accidents, both the Soviet Union and the United States used evaporative release to treat nuclear wastewater. So, why does the Japanese government insist on choosing the sea entry option? The answer is that this is the most "economical".
In terms of cost, it only costs 1.7 billion to 3.4 billion yen (approximately RMB 102 million to 203 million yuan) to complete the sea entry plan, while other plans range from tens of billions to hundreds of billions of yen.
In terms of preparation time, the sea entry plan only takes 16 months, while other plans require at least 2 years.
In addition, the area of facilities in the sea access plan is only 300 to 500 square meters, while most other plans exceed 2,000 square meters, and the underground burial plan even requires more than 280,000 square meters.
Currently, the specific plan for discharging nuclear wastewater into the sea has yet to be finalized by the Japanese government and requires permission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Once the permit is approved, the discharge of nuclear wastewater into the sea will be ready in about two years.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's permission is no longer in doubt. On April 13, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s official Twitter post stated that Director General Grossi “welcomes” Japan’s decision and will provide support to Japan.
There is no precedent in history, and the impact is inestimable.
In fact, as early as October 2020, the Japanese government planned to determine whether nuclear wastewater would enter the sea. As soon as the news came out, people in Fukushima and the international community issued strong protests, and the Japanese government temporarily shelved the resolution.
After the Japanese government made a formal decision on the 13th, global public opinion was shocked. Is it safe to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea? Will it threaten the health of local residents and people in neighboring countries? How will the world be affected? Countless questions linger in people's minds.
Liu Xinhua, chief expert of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said that the impact of wastewater discharge on the marine environment depends on the type, concentration and total amount of radionuclides , as well as the interaction between specific radionuclides and key elements of the marine environment. Condition.
The nuclear wastewater produced by Fukushima contains 63 types of radioactive substances including cesium, strontium, and tritium. According to the Japanese government, the "multi-nuclide removal equipment" and other filtration equipment currently used by TEPCO can filter out 62 types of radioactive substances in wastewater.
For tritium, a radioactive substance that is difficult to filter, the Japanese government’s solution is to dilute the tritium content in the treated water to 1/40 of the Japanese national standard and 1/7 of the drinking water quality standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO). the following.
However, the actual effect of the "multi-nuclide removal equipment" mentioned by the Japanese government is not that ideal. Data shows that as of March 2020, about 70% of the nuclear wastewater treated by this equipment exceeded the discharge standard and required secondary treatment.
On the day it was decided to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea, in order to promote the safety of tritium in nuclear wastewater, the Japan Agency for Reconstruction and Reconstruction produced and released a leaflet in which "radioactive tritium" was transformed into a cute character as a "mascot".
Japanese netizens were dumbfounded and commented: "It's terrible. Is the government fooling the people? Is radioactive tritium a mascot?" "This is too stupid.If nuclear wastewater is safe, why is it isolated in water tanks? ! Is this an attempt to deceive fishermen with mascots? ”
Ken Busseler, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the United States, has studied the waters around Fukushima. He is concerned that non-tritium radioactive materials in storage tanks are still at high contamination levels. And these contaminants It has greater health risks than tritium and is more likely to accumulate in seafood and seabed sediments.
For example, strontium, a type of carcinogen that easily causes leukemia, is a bone-loving radionuclide that is easily enriched. In animal bones, cesium, which can increase the incidence of malignant tumors, can be absorbed by the muscles and liver of animals and stay in the body for several months. These nuclides may gradually accumulate and be transmitted up the food chain, posing a potential threat to human safety. . When the human body receives more than a certain dose of nuclear radiation, it will cause cancer. , teratogenic, mutagenic.
"Radioactive substances pass up one level along the food chain, and the concentration may increase by more than 10 times. When it reaches the level of fish, its concentration may be tens of thousands of times higher than the concentration in sea water. " said Wang Xun, associate professor at the College of Oceanography, South China Agricultural University.
Liu Xinhua said that there is no international precedent for such large-scale nuclear wastewater treatment as Fukushima. After the Fukushima nuclear wastewater enters the sea, some nuclides will migrate and spread to other sea areas with ocean currents. .
By then, the waters under China’s jurisdiction will inevitably be affected by cross-border contamination of radioactive materials. As early as the end of 2013, China had detected pollutants from the Fukushima nuclear accident in the waters under its jurisdiction.
A German marine scientific research institution. The calculation result is displayed It said that within 57 days of the nuclear wastewater being discharged, radioactive materials would spread to most of the Pacific Ocean, and the United States and Canada would be affected by nuclear pollution in three years.
If the Japanese government's nuclear wastewater treatment does not meet standards, the negative impact after entering the sea will be difficult. Estimate. Liu Xinhua believes that Japan should proactively, openly, transparently and timely report its emission plans and emission impact assessment results to the international community.
In view of Tepco’s previous record of concealing accidents, many Japanese people do not believe that the government will be responsible. Dispose of nuclear wastewater responsibly ht. ml3
A poll conducted by Japan's "Asahi Shimbun" at the beginning of this year showed that 55% of the respondents opposed the discharge of sewage into the sea. On April 12, a public rally took place in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's official residence. Several Japanese environmental organizations also jointly submitted 88 countries and governments to the government. A total of 64,000 signatures from the region expressed strong opposition to the sea entry plan .
· Some Japanese people took to the streets to protest against the government’s decision. Picture source: Xinhuanet.
But these voices failed to stop the Japanese government's decision.
When many countries expressed doubts and concerns about this, the United States supported Japan's decision.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying that Japan "seems to have taken measures that are consistent with the global situation." "We are grateful to Japan for its decision to deal with Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear power plants are making visible efforts to deal with water issues. We look forward to the Japanese government's continued coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency. "
But what's a slap in the face is that while the United States is shouting support, on the other hand it has issued a warning about banning the import of Japanese food...
· The U.S. Food and Drug Administration immediately issued a warning about banning the import of Japanese food.
With all of the above, it is not difficult to understand why anxious people reacted to Taro Aso’s words: "There will be nothing wrong with drinking that water." thing" is so angry.
Taro Aso makes another “confusing remarks”
Taro Aso is a “big mouth” Lang may have forgotten one thing:
In September 2020, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant for an inspection. At that time, he asked whether the nuclear wastewater could be drank. A TEPCO staff member replied, "It can be drunk if it is diluted." But in the end, Yoshihide Suga did not drink the glass of water.
This time, netizens directly shouted to Taro Aso: Otherwise, drink one first and show it to everyone!
Who is Taro Aso? People who are familiar with Japanese politics may be familiar with his "big mouth". Some experts pointed out that in Japanese political circles, "big talk" has become a means for them to attract voters. Taro Aso has also "tried this trick repeatedly."
Taro Aso, who was born in 1940, has a distinguished background. His great-grandfather Aso Taiyoshi was Japan's "Coal King" and a member of the House of Peers. His maternal grandfather Shigeru Yoshida and his father-in-law Zenyuki Suzuki both served as prime ministers. His father Aso Taiga was also a member of the House of Representatives. , he himself has served as prime minister, deputy prime minister, finance minister, finance minister, etc.
Japanese media believe that Taro Aso is a typical child of a political family in Japan. He comes from a wealthy and prominent family, has a smooth career, and can speak freely.
Taro Aso’s characteristics can also be seen from some of his hobbies: it is said that when he was in college, he was perfunctory about his studies and stayed up all night reading comic books. Later, while studying at Stanford University in the United States and the University of London in the United Kingdom, he did not forget to ask his mother to send him comic books. After joining politics, I had a heavy workload and read more than 20 comics every week. At the same time, he hated reading newspapers. Some people have commented that Aso's personality growth has not yet reached a mature stage, and he is more emotional than rational.
He has made irresponsible remarks many times when attending events before.
In November 2005, Taro Aso expressed his support for then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to pay homage to the Yasukuni Shrine. He said that the only countries in the world that are still talking about the Yasukuni Shrine are China and South Korea. "We don't have to worry about whether Japan will be isolated or unpopular."
In 2013, regarding the issue of high medical expenses for elderly patients, he actually said: "You want to keep people who are dying alive? Think about using government money to pay (high medical expenses). These people should feel guilty. Hope I hope they can die soon, otherwise the problem cannot be solved."
In recent years, perhaps because of his age, Taro Aso has restrained his speech, but he still causes trouble with his unbridled words from time to time.
In 2017, he made a big mouthful at a sectarian seminar and said that Nazi leader Hitler had "the right motive" to massacre millions of Jews.
In 2018, in response to the alleged sexual harassment of former Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda, Taro Aso publicly stated at a press conference that "there is no crime of sexual harassment", which aroused protests from Japanese women's groups, but he refused to apologize.
Last year, the COVID-19 epidemic raged across the world and claimed countless lives. However, Taro Aso said at a meeting of the Budget Committee of the Japanese Parliament that the new coronavirus is no different from a viral cold.
Each one of these things reveals absurdity.
At today’s regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian said that the lessons of Japan’s Minamata Disease are not far away, and the pain of local victims has not yet been healed. Japan should not forget the historical tragedy, let alone pretend to be confused.
At the same time, he emphasized that we strongly urge Japan to recognize its responsibilities, adhere to a scientific attitude, fulfill its international obligations, and respond appropriately to the serious concerns of neighboring countries in the international community and its own citizens.Japan should re-examine the issue of nuclear wastewater disposal from the Fukushima nuclear power plant and refrain from unauthorized discharge of wastewater before reaching consensus with all stakeholder countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency through full consultations. China reserves the right to make further reactions.
Some sources of information: Xinhua News Agency , Global Network, CCTV News, Science and Technology Daily, Beijing Daily, Southern Metropolis Daily, China News Service , China Youth Network, etc.
