Legal responses to Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater Discharge into the sea—from the perspective of China’s right-safeguarding strategies

Li, Meng; Wang, Xuedong

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15701

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…While the IAEA offers guidelines and conducts safety reviews, its protocols only become mandatory when adopted into a country's own legislation (IAEA, 2023). Japan follows these international guidelines closely, as shown by its adherence to the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Li & Wang, 2023). These conventions emphasize the importance of high safety and environmental standards in handling nuclear waste.…”

Section: International Nuclear Safety and Environmental Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Sociological and Ecological Vulnerabilities from Nuclear Waste Discharge: A Case Study of Fukushima's Marine Ecosystem

Khoso,

Jintu,

China

2024

Preprint

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The dissemination of treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean has raised profound ecological and public health concerns. This study examines the sociological effects of nuclear waste discharges on marine ecosystems and human communities, with a particular emphasis on the Fukushima event. Utilizing a combination of existing literature review and secondary data analysis, this study explores the distribution of radionuclides in marine settings, their accumulation in the marine food chain, societal hurdles and the associated health risks for humans. Besides that, the positive nature of coefficients demonstrates that each area measured—health, environment, social, and marine life—worsens with higher volumes of discharged water, highlighting the importance of international standards and effective environmental governance in controlling and reducing the effects of nuclear pollutants. The findings also indicate that the spread of radionuclides, notably tritium and carbon-14, presents sustained ecological and health risks, exacerbated by their long-term presence in the environment and propensity to bioaccumulation. In conclude, Fukushima incident starkly demonstrates the prolonged and intricate effects of nuclear waste discharges on marine ecosystems and human health. Therefore, regulatory enhancements are necessary to uphold strict safety standards and ensure international accountability, thereby boosting public confidence and conforming to global best practices in nuclear safety and environmental protection.

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Section: International Nuclear Safety and Environmental Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Sociological and Ecological Vulnerabilities from Nuclear Waste Discharge: A Case Study of Fukushima's Marine Ecosystem

Khoso,

Jintu,

China

2024

Preprint

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“…The plan involves discharging 1.34 million tons of NCW into the ocean over a period of 30 years, and this action poses a direct threat to the marine and global ecosystems [2,6]. Additionally, radioactive elements, including Cesium-137, in the wastewater can accumulate in marine organisms, including fish, and then eventually be transmitted to the human body via the food chain [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is the target of the current study: to address the need to minimize the gap found in the literature. Mainland China is an important destination for Japan's AP exports [14]. According to the latest statistics of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, from 2020 to 2022, the top four countries in terms of trading volume among the exporters of Japanese aquatic products are China, the United States, Vietnam, and South Korea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Japan’s Discharge of Nuclear-Contaminated Water on Aquaculture Production, Trade, and Food Security in China and Japan

Liang,

Yang,

Lou

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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The aquaculture and fisheries sectors play critical roles in promoting a global nutritious and climate-friendly food system. The Japanese government started implementing the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water (NCW) into the Pacific Ocean in August 2023, which was followed by stopping the import of seafood from Japan to ensure the safety of imported food for Chinese citizens. The discharge of NCW into the ocean by Japan will directly harm the marine ecological environment and the global ecosystem due to the importance of China as the largest producer, processor, and exporter of aquatic products (APs). This paper employs the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model to simulate the future impacts of discharging the NCW under three different scenarios. The results showed that discharging NCW will lead to a global decline in AP production and also has negative repercussions on the macroeconomic landscape. Japan will face the most significant negative impact on its national macroeconomy, e.g., Japan’s GDP, total imports, total exports, household income, and social welfare will decrease by 2.18%, 3.84%, 8.30%, 2.61%, and $130.07 billion; similarly, for China, the decrease will be 0.03%, 1.21%, 0.08%, and $728.15 billion, respectively. If China’s AP consumption decreases by 10% and 20%, it will result in protein deficits of 1.536 million tons and 3.132 million tons, respectively. Japan’s deficit will reach 138,000 tons and 276,000 tons. This necessitates supplementation via the consumption of other protein-rich foods, posing a significant threat to the nutritional security of food in both China and Japan.

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Reflections on governing Japan’s discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water: from the perspective of building a Maritime Community with a shared future

Zhang,

2024

Mar Dev

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Since August 2023, Japan has discharged some eight rounds of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, totaling some 62,800 tons. Despite global criticism and domestic opposition, the Japanese government continues with this discharge plan, anticipating its continuance for decades. As distinct from conventional nuclear wastewater discharges from nuclear power plants, Japan’s recent discharges of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water will release a significant number of radioactive nuclides into the ocean. It is foreseeable that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water will adversely affect various sectors, including the marine environment, human health, the seafood trade, the maritime economy, and the international marine legal order. Currently, the governance of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge faces three major dilemmas: insufficient participation by stakeholders, outdated regulations, and a crisis of trust. The concept of a titular Maritime Community with a Shared Future (MCSF) could address the discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, incorporating diverse interests while also considering both current and future development. This paper argues that it is imperative to jointly engage in negotiation within the perspective of MCSF, to jointly build a governance mechanism and advance the update of rules, and to share data and information sustainably to manage the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water.

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Legal responses to Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater Discharge into the sea—from the perspective of China’s right-safeguarding strategies

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Sociological and Ecological Vulnerabilities from Nuclear Waste Discharge: A Case Study of Fukushima's Marine Ecosystem

Sociological and Ecological Vulnerabilities from Nuclear Waste Discharge: A Case Study of Fukushima's Marine Ecosystem

The Impact of Japan’s Discharge of Nuclear-Contaminated Water on Aquaculture Production, Trade, and Food Security in China and Japan

Reflections on governing Japan’s discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water: from the perspective of building a Maritime Community with a shared future

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