Japan Requests 'Forced Disbandment' of Protest Against Contaminated Water Discharge in Front of Japanese Embassy in Korea

The university student protest group blocking the discharge of radioactive contaminated water from Japan continued their sit-in demonstration on the 19th at the Embassy of Japan in Seoul, Jung-gu./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The Japanese government announced that it has requested the South Korean government to take 'appropriate measures' such as forced removal in response to the sit-in protest by South Korean university students opposing the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of the Embassy of Japan in Korea.

At a regular press conference on the 19th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, the spokesperson for the Japanese government, responded to a Sankei Shimbun reporter's question about Japan's response to the protest sit-in by saying, "I understand that a sit-in demonstration is taking place," and stated that the Embassy of Japan in Korea has requested the South Korean government and police to take 'removal (forced dispersal)' and strengthen security measures around the area as appropriate responses. He added, "We intend to continue to respond appropriately to maintain the safety of Japanese diplomatic missions."

The 'Emergency Sit-in Group of University Students to Stop the Discharge of Japanese Radioactive Contaminated Water,' composed of the Korean University Students Progressive Union and others, declared an indefinite emergency sit-in on the 16th to stop the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. On the third day of the sit-in, the 18th, they held a press conference stating, "The unauthorized discharge of radioactive contaminated water is a serious incident that threatens life and safety," and urged, "The Japanese government must immediately withdraw its decision to discharge."

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