Pacific island nations urge Japan to postpone release of water from Fukushima nuclear power plant

Pacific island nations are urging Japan to postpone the release of water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant due to concerns that fisheries will be contaminated, according to the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) on Wednesday.

The Japanese government announced last week that water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant could be released into the sea this spring or summer, alarmed island nations still dealing with the fallout



from decades of nuclear testing. After treatment, Japan approved the release of more than 1 million tonnes of water from the site into the ocean in April 2021. 

The PIF, a regional bloc of 17 island nations, claims that releasing the water will have a significant impact on fishing grounds that are vital to island economies and supply up to half of the world's tuna fish.