Fiji on very high alert after Japan’s plan to release more than 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean

A question that has been asked is, if the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water is so safe, why not re-use it in Japan for alternative purposes – in manufacturing and agriculture for instance.

Acting Prime Minister, Manoa Kamikamica has made this comment after Japan’s plan to release more than 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over around four decades.

Kamikamica says as outgoing Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Fiji stands with the decision of the Forum Leaders in Nadi last week that our position about the planned release of ALPS-treated water by the Government of Japan be guided by science and data.

He says the planned release by Japan will have trans-boundary impacts across the Pacific Ocean and it is important that we reach a shared understanding on the implications of this release before we move ahead.

Kamikamica says just yesterday, we commemorated once again the day dedicated to the memories of victims and survivors of nuclear testing and waste.

He says this is a legacy that was forced upon our people by nuclear states who, to this day, still refuse to admit their actions and the intergenerational, permanent impacts to our health and our homes.

The Acting Prime Minister says justice remains evasive.

He says the plans by Japan are therefore keeping Fiji on very high alert.

Kamikamica says we have learned our lesson the hard way, and we cannot leave the same legacy for current and future generations.

Kamikamica says as a Pacific Islands Forum, they have established an independent panel of scientific experts to advise them on this complex issue and to review the data and information that is informing Japan’s position on this matter.

He says in simple terms, the independent panel of experts have not been able to reach the same conclusion as the Japanese Government and the IAEA, based on the data and information that has been shared with them.

Kamikamica also says soon after chairing the Forum Leaders Special Retreat in Nadi, Prime Minister Rabuka left to attend this week’s Oceans Conference in Panama.

He says we live in the Pacific Ocean, and we are a ‘family of the ocean.”

He further says that the health of the Pacific Ocean is vitally important for us, it is a source of 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, emphasizing the preservation, protection and security of the ocean and our people.