The Pacific Collective on Nuclear Issues (the Collective) is calling on Japan’s Foreign Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, who visited Fiji and Palau on the weekend, to reconsider Japan’s plans to dump over one million tonnes of radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean as early as next year.
According to the Japanese Government, Minister Hayasi toured the two Pacific states to promote a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, aimed to diminish China’s growing military and economic influence in the region.
The Collective, which represents several Pacific civil society organisations, reiterates its call for the Japanese Government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) to stop their plans to discharge over 1.28 million tonnes of radioactive waste into our ocean.
“We hope that the leaders and government officials in Fiji and Palau will use the opportunity to reinforce the message to Minister Hayashi that our ocean must not become a free dumping ground for nuclear wastes from the Fukushima nuclear power plant – one of the greatest nuclear disasters of our times”.