The prime minister ate raw fish to end concerns about radioactivity

After the 2011 natural disaster, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio proposed ending the debate that began last week with the dumping of radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Intra-Dai nuclear power plant.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio ate seafood for lunch to address growing public concerns about the start of radioactive wastewater discharge.

According to Kyodo News, Kishida and some ministers preferred seafood from the sea near the power station for lunch.

Japan’s prime minister ate sashimi to ease concerns.

The meal is reported to be aimed at addressing concerns about the potential negative effects of the dumped water on human health and damage to the reputation of seafood in the country.

Nişimura Yasutoshi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, said Kishida ate “sashimi” made up of sea bass, sole and octopus, along with rice grown in Fukushima.

Industry Minister Cahit Aral drank tea on camera to refute claims the tea contained radiation after the Chernobyl disaster. (Photo: Depo Photos)

In a statement to reporters after the meeting, Nişimura said that “both nationals and foreigners should be informed” about the safety of seafood coming from the sea near the power plant.

THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION HAVE REACTED

The tsunami caused by the magnitude 9 earthquake in March 2011 damaged 3 of the 4 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Dai-içi Nuclear Power Plant, and the vicinity of the power plant was declared an “evacuation zone” due to radioactive fallout.

After the core meltdown of reactors 1 and 3 inside the facility, water began to be poured into the reactors to cool them. Treated and radioactive wastewater accumulated over time.

The move by the Prime Minister of Japan reminded me of Cahit Aral, who drank tea in front of the cameras in 1986.

In June 2020, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives (JF Zengyoren) unanimously adopted the special declaration against the discharge of sewage into the ocean, and then-Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide announced the plan to discharge nuclear wastewater into the ocean on June 13. April 2021. .

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in July 2023 that Japan’s plan to discharge accumulated sewage into the sea meets safety standards. Japan had started dumping sewage in Fukushima on August 24.

While the plan provoked a reaction from fishermen and environmental protection activists living in the region, as well as from neighboring countries, especially China, China has imposed a ban on importing seafood from Japan.

BRINGS TO MIND CAHİT ARAL

Cahit Aral, a founding member of the Motherland Party and former Minister of Industry and Commerce, took a similar step in the late 1980s.

After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Aral drank tea as a minister in front of the cameras to prove that Turkish tea was clean, and this image was etched in memory. (Agency)