After a  2011 tsunami, Japan experienced the second-worst nuclear disaster in human history at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The system at the Fukushima power plant detected an earthquake and automatically shut down the reactors as the emergency diesel fuel generators started providing essential energy for the coolant system of the core. However, the tsunami that followed the earthquake disabled all diesel generators, causing the cooling system to stop working. Eventually, the enormous heat melted down the core, a reaction known as a nuclear meltdown. To prevent the fuel from leaking from the reactor and entering the ground, workers had to dump ocean water directly into the radioactive core in order to cool it down. This water, having been directly exposed to fission substances and stored in large tanks with groundwater and rain, is known as Fukushima Water.

In 2021, Japanese officials decided to decommission the plant by releasing the treated water into the Pacific Ocean. They claimed that after going through the Advanced Liquid Process System (ALPS), a process that filters out many types of nuclear reactive substances from water, most substances are extracted sufficiently. All that remains is tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, and as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) puts it, “Water containing tritium has chemical features almost identical to water with ordinary hydrogen.” The water is then further diluted, and essentially, the substance contained in the water falls below the limit put forth by the safety regulations of Japan and other countries, which means it is allegedly harmless. 

Fishing communities within Japan protested against this decision. Nations including China, South Korea, and Taiwan all showed gestures of opposition, varying from protests to large-scale bans on importing Japanese seafood. Particularly, China and the Special Administrative Regions Hong Kong and Macau, who initially restricted sea products of Fukushima from entering, now banned all imports of sea products from Japan. China condemned Japan’s decision as selfish. Japan, however, insisted that they have met all standards given by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, said that the Solomon Islands is “appalled” by Japan’s decision, stating that “IAEA’s assessment report is inconclusive and that the scientific data shared remains inadequate, incomplete and biased.” The Solomon Islands have been allegedly affected by nuclear contamination due to the nuclear weapon tests in the South Pacific region. While the South Korean government announced that it would abide by the decision made by the IAEA, a survey shows that around 80% of Koreans are opposed to such a decision, and 60% said they would not eat seafood after the release began. 

The prime minister of the Solomon Islands said, “If this nuclear wastewater is safe, it should be stored in Japan. The fact that it is dumped into the ocean shows that it is not safe.” Former Deputy Prime Minister and current Vice President of Japan’s ruling party, Tarō Asō, claimed that he is willing to drink the Fukushima water. If that’s true, why wouldn’t Japan keep the water for their own use rather than dumping the water into the ocean and causing rage among the international community? Japan needs to obtain permission from the neighboring countries that share the ocean with it. China states that they were never allowed to send experts to investigate the Fukushima water. Japan claims that China itself rejected joining the international investigation committee, and it is possible that China has used the incident to distract its citizens from its declining economy following the pandemic.

Japan has received little attention from the media, despite the concerns raised by regional voices. In contrast, other East Asian countries are heavily criticized for similar actions. China has been criticized for its greenhouse gas emissions for the last few decades. Countries and organizations in the international community have urged China to reduce its emissions that cause air pollution. Indeed, China has been a major source of greenhouse gas emitter in recent years, taking about a quarter of the total emissions annually. However, looking at the data on the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of each country by 2021, the U.S. and the European nations surpass China by a significant amount, with the US emitting 24.29% and China with 14.36%. In addition, 2019 data on per capita greenhouse emission (tCO2/person) shows that the US stays on top with 17.6, while China only has 8.6. Despite the fact that China is making significant progress in its attempt to meet the requirements written in the Paris Agreement, it has received no less criticism than before. Why is the media quick to blame China for its emissions while ignoring the threats to the environment posed by Japan and Western nations?

Returning to the topic of the release of Fukushima water, we cannot truly predict the result of the action. It can certainly be unsafe and divisive, and it sets a precedent for similar actions in the future. While it is possible that everything will be just fine following this event, it offers an example of an even more alarming problem that we now face: people choose their biased opinions over sound judgments. When one takes too close a look at reality, one gets disgusted by it. Matthew 28:7 states, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” As Christians, we believe that the pain we suffer is the result of the rebellion of our first parents. We are also called to love others, even those who hate and persecute us, yet oftentimes we fail to look past the “colored glasses” bestowed upon us, that we are biased by our prejudices, and we fail to discern what is true by receiving whatever the media dumps upon us. Simply imagine how the media would portray the incident if China were the one to dump the nuclear-contaminated water. We desire to listen to those who agree with our opinions and deny anyone against them. Hillsdale students should be better than that. If we were to pursue truth and defend liberty, we ought to let go of our ego, pride, and prejudice. I encourage those who read this article to try to look through the lies portrayed in the media, particularly those that align with your opinions. One cannot possibly grasp the reality of one subject by only seeing it from one side. 

Yaozhu (Charlie) Cheng is a sophomore majoring in History and French.