Discharging nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean will only bring endless trouble, a Japanese expert has warned, while urging the Japanese government and relevant parties to stop such misconduct immediately.
Last week, Japan began to release the fifth batch of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from its crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and that process is expected to continue until May 7, with approximately 7,800 tons of the nuclear-contaminated water set to be discharged.
Hajime Matsukubo, secretary general of the Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, a Japanese professional institution that collects information and investigate the use of atomic energy, strongly criticized such action as irresponsible.
"As long as the nuclear-contaminated water is discharged, no matter how small the quantity is, it will definitely lead to radiation contamination of the environment. This poses risks to both local residents and the international community," said Matsukubo.
The discharge was suspended for several hours on Wednesday due to power outrage. The incident also let to intermittent power outage in key facilities for monitoring waste furnace operation.
Matsukubo believes that this further exposes the risks in the discharging process.
"In the long run, incidents like these are pivotal in determining whether the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station can be safely decommissioned. After the nuclear disaster in 2011, Japan has worked out a plan that aims to decommission the reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station within a timeframe of 30 to 40 years. But it has been failed to promote the plan as schedule. For example, according to the plan, the melted nuclear debris should be moved from the reactors beginning in 2011. However, the process has faced continuous postponements and has not yet begun. While the release of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean has already begun, there is still a significant quantity of contaminated water stored within the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The water should continue to be properly stored on land," said Matsukubo.
Hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
The plant has been generating a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel in the reactor buildings. The contaminated water is now being stored in tanks at the nuclear plant.
Despite furious opposition both at home and abroad, the ocean discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water began in August 2023, and a total of about 31,200 tons of the water was released in four rounds in fiscal year 2023 through March.
Discharging nuclear-contaminated water only brings endless trouble: Japanese expert
Actors from the new comedy "The Last Frenzy" shared the behind-the-scenes stories on China Central Television (CCTV), as the film has performed quite well at the box office and earned great viewership from the audience.
As of Monday, the sixth day of the film's release, the total box office revenue from the film had surpassed 400 million yuan (about 55.48 million U.S. dollars), ranking the first among all the films screened around the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5.
The film tells the story of a middle-aged man named Jia Youwei, played by veteran comedian Jia Bing, grappling with life-altering decisions when he is confronted with an incurable illness and a mere 10 days left to live. Choosing to spend his million yuan property proceeds on unforgettable experiences with friends, Jia embarks on a poignant journey of camaraderie and self-discovery.
In the CCTV interview, Jia Bing analyzed into the character he played.
"Jia Youwei is a little bit stingy because of the family he was born into. He is reluctant to spend money because after his parents died, he didn't have any other people to rely on. He saves money as a way of guarantee for himself. He is portrayed as a careless person in the film, but actually he has a delicate mind. As the movie unfolds, you'll find Jia Youwei is actually quite generous, especially to his friends. He is willing to give up everything he has in order to help his friends realize their dreams," Jia said.
Dong Baoshi, a rap singer-turned actor, played one of Jia Youwei's friends in the film. He said many of the scenes were improvised.
"Many of the scenes in the film were improvised. I didn't know much about acting before working with Jia Bing and Xiao Shenyang (another actor). They have a lot of inspiration and many of the lines in the film were improvised by them. I often laughed out on the set because there were many interesting lines that they came up with in a way like freestyle," Dong said.
Jia agreed with Dong and said director Urna is very fond of the improvised scenes.
"We are the same both in and outside the film. What we look like in the film is the same with that in our daily life. There is no difference. Director Urna says she hopes we can be ourselves and that she loves the 'freestyle' scenes in which we play roles," Jia said.
As a rookie actor, Dong said he has learned a lot from Jia and other actors in the film.
"Jia offered me much advice on playing a comedy, such as the rhythm of saying the lines. He also helped me adjust my performance, which I think is a wonderful process. I was a little bit shy at first. But with his encouragement, I began participating in the creation process with other actors in a very relaxed mood," Dong said.
Jia has so far played roles in more than 50 films and TV series, mostly comedies. Unlike other actors who pursue an all-around and versatile development, Jia said he wants to stick to the comedy business.
He also performed in many comic sketches before and once performed on China Media Group's Spring Festival Gala, a TV show enjoyed by almost every household in China on the eve of the Chinese New Year.
"I once made a promise to myself that I would devote my whole lifetime to comedy. Since comic sketches have gradually lost attraction to young people and I couldn't come up with good punch lines any more, I decide to spend more time on films and think carefully about each character I will play, so as to bring laughter to the audience. I think I haven't reneged on my promise," Jia said.
Comedy film actors share behind-the-scenes stories
