#Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations

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Experts Call For Long-Term, Joint Seawater Monitoring To Collect Prosecution Evidence As Radioactive ☢️ Substance Detected For First Time Near Fukushima N-Plant

— Zhang Changyue | September 03, 2023

Japan's reckless dumping of Nuclear ☢️ Wastewater poses a grave danger to Earth. Cartoon: Carlos Latuff/Brazil 🇧🇷

As Japan 🇯🇵 has detected the radioactive substance tritium for the first time after it started dumping the Nuclear-Contaminated Wastewater, Chinese experts on Sunday called for a long-term and joint monitoring program by international community on the radioactive substances in the seawater to collect and accumulate evidence for future prosecution against Japan.

Ten becquerels per liter of tritium was detected in a seawater sample taken on Thursday about 200 meters north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's underwater discharge tunnel, which is the first time that the radioactive material was detected in a seawater sample since Japan started the dumping of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on August 24, the Japan News reported.

According to Kyodo News, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said the detection of tritium can be considered as affected by the dumping but without any security problem.

As TEPCO and Japan's Environment Ministry claimed that Tritium levels in seawater sampled at sites near the plant were below the detectable limit, Chang Yen-chiang, director of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea Research Institute of Dalian Maritime University, told the Global Times on Sunday that "time" is the key factor in monitoring radioactive substances.

"It is not long since Japan began dumping the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into sea, so it is normal that we would see the current low levels of the detected radioactive substances," Chang noted, saying that countries in the Pacific regions can engage in a joint and long-term research and testing of radioactive substances through international cooperation.

Gao Zhikai, Vice President of the Center for China 🇨🇳 and Globalization, a Beijing-based nongovernmental think tank, echoed Chang. Gao said China could consider collaborating with other countries and some nongovernmental environmental organizations to set up a permanent monitoring station on behalf of the international community to collect relevant radiation data, for example, by sending a ship to the exclusive economic zone around Fukushima.

A Citizen Group in Fukushima is preparing to sue the Japanese government and TEPCO on September 8 with more than 100 plaintiffs to demand the cessation of the dumping, Jiji News reported. The legal team said the extent to which radioactive substances other than tritium are present in the wastewater has not been clarified, and the Japanese government violated the promise made with the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations not to take any action without the understanding of the stakeholders, thereby infringing upon the fishermen's fishing rights and threatening the consumers' right to live in peace.

Gao said Japan's dumping of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater can be regarded as an act of infringement since the behavior will definitely result in infringement upon the legitimate rights and interests of individuals and organizations. He suggested China work with other countries to establish a specialized legal committee as soon as possible to deal with acts of infringement and to collect evidence of the types of damage caused by Japan's dumping of the nuclear-contaminated water worldwide.

According to Kyodo News, the Japanese Civic Group "National Liaison Committee Against the Release of Contaminated Water from Nuclear Power Plants" filed a complaint to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday against Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa for causing potential damage to non-residential buildings and deaths due to professional negligence over the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water.

On Saturday, thousands of South Koreans 🇰🇷 including Fishermen, Activists and Politicians continued a weekend rally in central Seoul to protest against Japan's dumping of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean.

The participants shouted slogans like "Immediately stop the marine dumping of radioactive wastewater" and "Prohibit import of all Japanese aquatic products," urging the South Korean government to file a lawsuit with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea against the Japanese government.

[whittlebaggett8]

Will Japan’s Reign Change Mean a Peaceful End to Small Scale Rice Farming?

Rice agriculture has noticed a significant drop during the Heisei era, what changes will the new Reiwa era carry?

This 7 days, Japan has been in the midst of a 10-working day celebration culminating with the historic abdication of Emperor Akihito on April 30, marking the finish of the Heisei period, and the starting of the Reiwa era of Emperor Naruhito on Could 1. The abdication is the first these kinds of party in 200 many years, bringing with it queries about the how the new emperor will enjoy a job in politics and modern society. As the state completes the transition of its royal rulers, it has Japanese pondering about the country’s spot within just the Asian region and irrespective of whether or not the new era will provide the “Peaceful Order” promised by its identify.

Heisei, Not Heyday

The Heisei Period, which started in 1989 (the formal enthronement ceremony happened in 1990) exerted forces on Japan’s self knowing more than its 30 year span. In that period, the financial bubble collapsed in the 1990s, the state was pressured to commit militarily in some sort to both of those Iraq Wars (opening the Self Protection Forces to participation in conflict for the 1st time), the Fukushima-Daiichi Triple Disasters in 2011 bought to mild the government’s incapacity to reply to disasters and safeguard its citizens, and tensions throughout the water with both equally North Korea and China have emboldened the very long-phrase rule of the Liberal Democratic Bash (LDP) and the dominance of its extra conservative components.

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It will be some time prior to historians are equipped to cohesively examine and fully grasp the important developments of the Heisei era. For longtime scholars of Japanese politics, the era provides as a conundrum with both hopeful and disappointing currents. Historian Paul Dunscomb argues that the period can be summed up in five crucial words and phrases: decrease, tribulation, resistance, resilience, and transition. Between the tendencies that have been the strongest is the ongoing resilience of Japanese citizens them selves. Rice agriculture has seen a enormous drop through the Heisei era with the withering of rice farming as farmers die off (the normal rice farmer’s age is just about 90), land is still left fallow and abandoned and the means for authorities institutions to insulate domestic rice growers experienced diminished. There has also been resistance to transform, exhibited greatest the agriculture’s most crucial establishment, its cooperative union.

Zembu, JA Zenchu

In the framework of Japan’s agricultural plan, Japan Agriculture (JA) Zenchu, the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, looms large. It has been a steady force for the LDP and rural toughness inspite of the government’s attempt at reforms. All through the Heisei era, the organization considerably expanded its power and strengthened the existence of the establishment even in the midst of requires to reform its central firm, threats to LDP dominance, no cost trade agreements (FTAs) which introduced changes to age outdated assist procedures for agriculture, Japan’s accession to intercontinental trade regimes and pressure from the United States to open agricultural marketplaces all through TPP negotiations. 1 of the motives for the persistence of JA is the multi-faceted character of its organization, which exists in each individual prefecture in Japan, as perfectly as its presence at all factors in the marketing and advertising, manufacturing and farming of rice.

The worth of JA in rice farming, as effectively as other types of farming currently, are not able to be underestimated. Local cooperatives are associated and support farmers with each and every phase of farming, from delivering seeds at lessen prices to providing fertilizers and pesticides, supplying route for planting, enable with transforming developing disorders due to temperature and other adverse problems such as disaster and sickness. The organization presents storage, drying, and processing companies for rice, soybeans, and vegetables.

Alongside with individuals expert services instantly connected to farming, JA also presents transportation, an agricultural equipment area that can retain and repair equipment, and presents assistance through normal conferences with local farmers. The cooperative also implements national plan which is coordinated by JA with the MAFF (Ministry of Agricultural, Fisheries and Forestry). JA Zenchu has 5.36 million non-farmer customers (or associate associates) and 4.61 million regular users, creating its overall membership 9.97 million.

Though it is an group possessing substantial political and social cash, it has failed to produce to its most worth constituency: Japan’s rice farmers. Some farmers display a disinterest in the cooperatives and other people are angry, expressing the cooperatives have “done almost nothing.” Leaving farmers adrift and not able to contend with corporate farming which dominates in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil (the world’s major grain economies). JA is integral to farmers, so much so that they are dependent on it, creating entry into farming complicated unless of course just one is a member. There is a custom of farmers inheriting land from mothers and fathers and other relations, it is unusual for people or companies with non-agricultural backgrounds to take up farming developing a method that is incredibly shut to outsiders. Improvements to modern legislation even so, might open farming to international businesses.

Ceding Seed Regulate?

Japan’s Seed Law (passed in 1952) was produced to deal with the trouble of foodstuff safety.  After World War II, the state and nearby governments established out to increase seeds for its key crops these as rice, soybeans and wheat.  It is a policy that has greatly contributed to the control of Japan’s seed source by JA. The legislation is the foundation for agricultural experiment stations and budget requests built at the nearby stage to support farmers go over the price of seeds.

The strict manage more than which seeds were applied confirmed that all staple crops were being domestically grown, working with domestically generated seeds. JA is the agricultural actor accountable for producing seeds including commencing seedlings for planting. The Seed Act was abolished by the Regulatory Reform Marketing Council, part of by the Advisory Council of the Abe Cabinet. The council has concentrated its attempts on reform with the stated intention of fundamentally switching agriculture in Japan via modernization and efficiency. Although the private sector has been permitted to develop and offer agricultural goods, including seeds they are high-priced and not captivating to farmers. The abolishment of the Seed Regulation permits the personal sector, and big transnational companies to enter into the seed enterprise.

Paddy Farming No Additional?

In the previous, the federal government and JA saved manage above the progress, provide, and distribution of rice, even at the expense of rice growers. This regulate preserved the structure of rice developing in tiny plots (on typical 1-1.5 acres big) developed by family members and folks that had to supplement their revenue or have interaction in rice farming element time.

Rice increasing has taken care of alone as extended as it has mainly because of the financial positive aspects that farmers reap from subsidies, but these subsidies are diminishing. Rice developing in Japan is inefficient and procedures did not reward individuals rice growers that have been most effective. In spite of the electricity of JA Zenchu, it has acted to shield its possess electricity and passions at the cost of its farmer constituents. The final result of these procedures is that rice farming appears to be like extremely related to the way it did just about 100 a long time in the past. It is seemed upon by outsiders as an field frozen in time and therefore not able to retain up with the developments made in other countries.

Japanese rice growers are not able to contend with significant scale industrial agriculture. Though the approach already begun permits company possession, cooperatives are blocking it at the community level. Overseas agricultural businesses have but to make inroads into Japanese rice rising. In the Reiwa period of the Tranquil Get, governing administration conclusions will seal the fate of Japanese agriculture, it is probable that tiny paddy rice farming will stop unless of course cooperatives and government institutions act purposefully.

Nicole L. Freiner is an associate professor of Political Science at Bryant University in which she teaches courses on Asian and Japanese Politics and Society, Comparative and Environmental Politics and Policy. She is the author of two guides on Japanese Politics:  The Social and Gender Politics of Confucian Nationalism: Women and the Japanese Condition (2012), and Rice and Agricultural Procedures in Japan: The Loss of a Conventional Life-style (2019).

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