Press Statement
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI)/Friends of the Earth Indonesia
Jakarta, 16 September 2023 - The Japanese government, through the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) started dumping wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday, 24 August 2023. This disposal was carried out after 12 years of the earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the world's worst nuclear disaster. More than one million metric tons of radioactive water are flowing into the Pacific Ocean. The dumping of nuclear wastewater has drawn criticism from various countries such as South Korea and China, environmental organizations, and millions of global citizens.
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) criticized the nuclear wastewater dumping process carried out by the Japanese Government. In the long term, the dumping of nuclear wastewater containing radioactive substances will damage marine ecosystems and affect the life of aquatic biota, which has been one of the food sources for communities around the Pacific Ocean and in other regions of the world. There is a risk of transmission to humans, which impacts health through consuming seafood from nuclear wastewater dumping areas.
"Efforts to dump nuclear wastewater have been encouraged by the Japanese Government since 2021 and continue to receive resistance from various countries such as China, South Korea, and the majority of Pacific countries. The dumping of nuclear wastewater carried out by Japan on August 24 and will be carried out again in the near future threatens marine ecosystems for generations to come. Japan has completely ignored the concerns and protests from scientists, environmental organizations, and millions of global citizens," said Abdul Ghofar, WALHI’s Pollution and Urban Campaigner.
A strong protest against the dumping of Japanese nuclear wastewater was also conveyed by the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Union (KNTI). According to Hendra Wiguna, General Chair of Indonesian Youth and Coastal Students (the youth wing of KNTI), the dumping of nuclear wastewater by the Japanese government will have an impact on the marine environment and public health, which will also have a negative impact on the economy of fish-producing countries. Fishermen, as the frontline of the coastal economy, will be the group most affected.
“It is certain that “the bad material” thrown into the sea will return to us because the sea is a source of goodness, a source of shared prosperity. "All nations should protect the sea so that our food is protected forever," explained Hendra.
On 16 September 2023, the global community held a simultaneous Global Candlelight Action in 12 cities in 7 (seven) countries to urge the Japanese government to stop the ocean dumping of nuclear wastewater altogether in the future. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) organized one of the simultaneous global actions before the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Contact Person:
Abdul Ghofar - 085645520982/[email protected]
