Japan PM, ministers eat Fukushima seafood to dispel concerns
Move comes as treated water from crippled nuclear plant released into sea
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, eats sashimi made from fish caught off the Fukushima coast. (Photo courtesy of Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
August 30, 2023 17:20 JST
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and several ministers ate seafood sourced from the sea off Fukushima Prefecture on Wednesday, against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy over Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the compromised nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The lunch meeting was apparently aimed at dispelling concerns about the possible negative impact of the discharged water on human health and the reputational damage to fishery products from the areas around the northeastern Japan prefecture.
Following the gathering at the prime minister's office, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, responsible for nuclear policy, said that Kishida ate sashimi consisting of sea bass, flounder, and octopus, alongside rice harvested in Fukushima.