Visiting Japanese Opposition Lawmaker Begins Sit-in Protest at Japanese Parliament... Direct Appeal Against 'Contaminated Water Discharge' (Comprehensive)

Struggle in Japan for 3 Days and 2 Nights
Second Visit Following Last April
Shouting "Immediate Withdrawal of Nuclear Contaminated Water Discharge"

Members of the National Assembly affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea visited Japan on the 10th to prevent the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean and held a protest rally in front of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's residence.

Eleven Democratic Party and independent lawmakers, along with a delegation of fishermen representatives (Democratic Party's Korean lawmakers' group to stop nuclear contaminated water dumping), arrived in Japan that afternoon and held a rally in front of Prime Minister Kishida's residence, holding a banner that read "Let's protect the ocean together" and demanded the Japanese government immediately withdraw its plan to dump nuclear contaminated water into the ocean.

Jucheolhyun, a Democratic Party member of the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, criticized, "The ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water is an anti-global and anti-human act that pollutes the world's oceans beyond Japan's national interests," adding, "It clearly violates international laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which contains principles for the best methods to prevent and control marine pollution, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s London Convention and Protocol, which completely prohibit the dumping of nuclear waste into the ocean."

Photo by The Democratic Party of Korea Anti-Nuclear Wastewater Dumping Korea Delegation

Following this, the delegation staged a sit-in protest in front of the Japanese National Diet. Democratic Party lawmaker Yongbin Lee, who spoke during the open remarks, said, "The Japanese government's decision to dump nuclear contaminated water into the ocean is equivalent to creating a greater disaster after the Fukushima accident," and raised his voice, saying, "If the ocean dumping of nuclear contaminated water becomes a reality, future generations will hold accountable those who failed to prevent it." He emphasized, "As the Japanese proverb goes, 'Keizoku wa chikara nari' (Continuity is power), let's keep fighting."

They also visited the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan and delivered a protest letter criticizing the inadequate verification system for contaminated water. They pointed out, "Countries directly affected, such as the Republic of Korea and Pacific island nations, still cannot verify the performance reliability of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). There is also no confirmed response plan for unplanned contaminated water leaks," adding, "The marine monitoring plan only conducts four annual tests for seven radionuclides excluding tritium, and only one annual test for other radionuclides, and the impact assessment on bioaccumulation is also inadequate."

The delegation plans to meet with the Japanese Parliamentary Group for Zero Nuclear Power and 100% Renewable Energy and issue a joint declaration on the 11th, followed by a meeting with the Social Democratic Party lawmakers, a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Japan on the 12th, and a walking protest to stop the ocean dumping of nuclear contaminated water.

The Democratic Party is also reviewing legislative measures such as compensation for damages to fisheries and fishery workers that may occur if the nuclear contaminated water is discharged, and a bill to ban all imports of Japanese seafood.

Earlier, they departed for Japan on a 2-night, 3-day trip through Gimpo Airport's departure gate that morning. Just before departure, the delegation met with reporters and said, "The Japanese government's ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water is an irreversible act, and marine pollution is a disaster that affects all humanity," adding, "We cannot pass such a fatal burden on to future generations."

They continued, "We must do our utmost to prevent the discharge until safety is guaranteed," and said, "We will meet with Japanese politicians, experts, and civil society to prepare joint response measures and do our best to stop the ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water through international cooperation and return."

Lawmakers including Wisongon, Iwon Young Yang, Youngdeok Yoon, and Jaegap Yoon had also visited Japan once in April.

Photo by The Democratic Party of Korea Anti-Nuclear Wastewater Dumping Korea Delegation

The day before, the Democratic Party met with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, at the National Assembly and expressed concerns about the ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water. The Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water Ocean Dumping Countermeasures Committee requested Director General Grossi to ask Japan to postpone the dumping and to review other alternatives in solidarity with the international community. Director General Grossi stated, "A conclusion was reached in accordance with international safety standards," and said he would stay in Fukushima, Japan, for years to decades for monitoring purposes.

On this day as well, the delegation criticized the contents of the review report released by the IAEA. They said, "The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) released a report solely responding to the Japanese government's demands and repeated the same content like a parrot even during its visit to Korea," and criticized, "The IAEA says it does not take responsibility for the report's contents."

They added, "What is the Yoon Suk-yeol government doing in this urgent and serious situation?" and said, "The government and ruling party, which have the responsibility to protect the safety of the people and the sea, the livelihood of fishermen, are consistent in having no measures." They also pointed out, "Instead, they are labeling the natural voices of the people worried about public health and marine environmental damage as rumors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.