Japan's proposal has Fiji on high alert

SUVA — Fiji's Acting Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica says his country has been on high alert since Japan said it will discharge contaminated wastewater at the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Some have asked why, if the Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, treated water is so safe, it cannot be reused in Japan, for example in manufacturing and agriculture, Kamikamica was quoted by local media as saying.

The health of the Pacific Ocean is vital for Fijians, he said, because it provides a livelihood to many, it holds the only healthy stock of tuna in the world, and it forms a key part of the Pacific Islands Forum's 2050 Strategy that emphasizes preserving the ocean and protecting it and people.

As outgoing chairman of the forum, Fiji stands with the positions adopted by forum leaders in Nadi last month that the planned release of ALPS-treated water by Japan should be guided by science and data.

Releasing the contaminated water would affect countries across the Pacific, and it is important that they reach an understanding on the implications of the release before Japan goes ahead with it, Kamikamica said.

The forum has established an independent panel of scientific experts to advise its members on the issue and to review information about Japan's position on it, he said, but experts have been unable to reach the same conclusion as the Japanese government and the International Atomic Energy Agency, based on information given to them.

The forum has urged Japan to delay its discharge of the wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was the result of an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 that killed almost 20,000 people.

The Japanese government said in January that the radioactive wastewater would be discharged into the Pacific in spring or summer.

The forum Secretary-General Henry Puna said recently that those in the Pacific region are adamant that no wastewater should be released until all parties verify that doing so is safe. The forum must prevent action that will lead or mislead them toward another major nuclear contamination disaster at the hands of others, Puna said.

Xinhua