"Timing of Contaminated Water Discharge Considered President Yoon's Situation, Japanese Media"

Original planned start date for major discharge is mid-August
"Yoon shows understanding despite baseless criticism from the opposition"

One of the reasons the Japanese government decided to start releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean on the 24th was out of consideration for the South Korean government, Japanese media reported on the 23rd.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, in an article titled "The 24th is a consideration for domestic and international parties... Data publication before the fishing season and South Korea's circumstances," reported that "(The Japanese government) decided on the release start date as the 24th out of consideration for fishermen and South Korea's situation."

On the afternoon of the 22nd, when the Japanese government decided to begin the ocean discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant as early as the 24th, members of the Joint Action to Stop the Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Wastewater from Japan held a press conference in front of the Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, demanding the withdrawal of the ocean dumping schedule. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

According to the newspaper, the Japanese government initially considered mid-August as the release timing. Since bottom trawl fishing off the coast of Fukushima resumes in early September, they planned to disclose radiation measurement data related to the release beforehand to demonstrate safety. However, as the date of the trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States, and Japan was moved up from the originally scheduled late August to the 18th, the release start date was postponed to late August.

Why did the Japanese government "consider" South Korea? The newspaper wrote, "Because President Yoon Suk-yeol showed understanding of the release plan despite facing scientifically unfounded criticism from opposition parties and others." According to the newspaper, a Japanese government official said, "If the trilateral summit occurs before and after the release, criticism of President Yoon within South Korea could increase."

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) also reported that "Prime Minister Kishida has narrowed the release start timing to late August based on diplomatic schedules," citing the trilateral summit as one of the reasons.

The newspaper conveyed that considering President Yoon's stance of trusting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, Prime Minister Kishida judged that the release should wait until after the trilateral summit.

Earlier, on the 22nd, the Japanese government officially decided to release contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean starting on the 24th. This is 12 years and 5 months after the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. It has been 2 years and 4 months since then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga decided on ocean release as the disposal method for contaminated water in April 2021. The release is expected to continue for about 30 years from the start.

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