A protester holds a sign that reads "Don't throw radiation-contaminated water into the sea", during a rally against discharging of treated radioactive water the ocean, in front of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on August 25. Reuters
A protester holds a sign that reads "Don't throw radiation-contaminated water into the sea", during a rally against discharging of treated radioactive water the ocean, in front of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on August 25. Reuters
A protester holds a sign that reads "Don't throw radiation-contaminated water into the sea", during a rally against discharging of treated radioactive water the ocean, in front of Prime Minister Fumio
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National
August 29, 2023
How much tritium, carbon-14, strontium-90 and iodine-129 would you like in your sushi? None at all, appears to be the response of the Chinese public, which has been strongly supportive of Beijing’s decision to ban all seafood imports from Japan after more than 1 million tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant began discharging into the Pacific Ocean.
The decision has so outraged opinion in China that Tokyo has advised any citizens visiting or living in China to “try to be cautious, such as not speaking Japanese loudly unnecessarily”. The concern is real: last week, a brick was thrown at the Japanese embassy in Beijing, and the country’s diplomats have apparently been deluged by “crank calls” from Chinese telephone numbers.
It is never hard to provoke anti-Japanese feeling in China or South Korea (where people are also upset) given the historical record of the Second World War and the previous decades of Tokyo’s imperial expansion. This has nothing to do with the issue of nuclear power – both countries have plenty of nuclear power plants, and even many hardcore environmentalists have come round to the view that the technology is one of the cleanest and most sustainable when all is working correctly.
Kim Gi-hyeon (R), chief of the ruling People Power Party, and the party's floor leader, Yun Jae-ok, eat slices of raw 'mineo,' or croaker fish, for lunch at a raw fish restaurant in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea, on August 29, to promote sales of fish amid Japan's release of radioactive water into the ocean. EPA
Neither has the outrage been mollified by the fact that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency has approved the release, which will take place over 30 to 40 years, and that the discharge has been thoroughly cleaned – the levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, are far below those that the World Health Organisation mandates for drinking water.
“The ocean is the common property of all humanity, and forcibly starting the discharge of Fukushima’s nuclear wastewater into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores international public interests,” said a statement from China’s foreign ministry. The Japanese government disputes that, but really this is a communications fiasco arising from the failure to recognise that for most people the words “nuclear contaminated” and “perfectly safe” do not belong in the same sentence.
Rightly or wrongly, this is an issue to which people have an emotional, not a rational, response
It reminds me of 1990, when Britain was in a frenzy about “mad cow disease”, which could be spread from infected meat to humans. The then environment secretary, John Gummer, attempted to reassure the public there was little or no risk from local produce by posing for a photoshoot while feeding his four-year-old daughter a beef burger. No one was convinced. It only raised questions about the minister’s style of parenting. (Years later, I met Mr Gummer’s by then grown-up daughter at a dinner party. I am pleased to report that she appeared to be unscathed by the experience.)
Rightly or wrongly, this is an issue to which people have an emotional, not a rational, response. Would you swim in the sea next to the site of a nuclear disaster – Fukushima was the world’s worst since Chernobyl after it was struck by a tsunami in 2011 – or in any area where water from the ruined plant was released? I know I wouldn’t. And even if the risk would be minimal, this decision does tap into entirely legitimate fears about humanity’s custodianship of our oceans.
Part of the facility for the releasing treated radioactive water to sea. On August 24, Japan started the discharge of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. It will take 30 years to complete the release. EPA/ Pool
A study published in March estimated that there may be more than 170 trillion plastic particles in the world’s seas, and that there had been a “rapid and unprecedented” increase in plastic pollution since 2005. A global plastic treaty is in the works, but cleaning up just what we have produced so far will be a gargantuan task – only 9 per cent of the historic total has ever been recycled, according to the UN Environment Programme.
To take another example, at the beginning of August, Britain’s team for the World Triathlon Championship finals said they had been forced to stop training in the sea – because there was too much sewage off the coast of Lancashire, where they are based.
These are very troubling news stories for all of us who relish spending time in the water. Some of my happiest memories are of braving chilly British shores, snorkelling in the Red Sea near Jeddah and the Bismarck Sea off Papua New Guinea, and swimming with turtles and baby sharks near the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. But there are serious health costs, too, for both marine and human life. How have we managed to take such a laissez-faire attitude to one of the planet’s most precious resources?
So releasing water from the Fukushima nuclear plant just sets a very bad example – that the ocean continues to be where we offload our refuse. Yes, we have been told that it is safe – although there have been countless times over the decades when professionals were confident that something that turned out to be harmful was not, or the impression was given that it wasn’t too bad. There was an advertising slogan in the 1940s that went: “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.”
Storage tanks for treated water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan. Reuters
Authorities are set to begin pumping more than a million tonnes of treated radioactive water from the nuclear power plant into the sea. AFP
The move has drawn criticism, such as from these protesters outside the Japanese prime minister's official residence. Getty Images
Japan's government plans to release water stored at Fukushima into the Pacific. Getty Images
Neighbouring countries have objected, citing fears of radioactive contamination. Reuters
The accumulating water has been stored in tanks at Fukushima since 2011 and Japan says it needs to start releasing it as those containers are full. AP
The nuclear meltdown at Fukushima in March 2011 was sparked by a tsunami that swept away towns and cities after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, leaving more than 20,000 people dead or missing. AP
But there is not a 100 per cent consensus on the issue. Greenpeace International issued a statement saying: “Scientists have warned that the radiological risks from the discharges have not been fully assessed, and the biological impacts of tritium, carbon-14, strontium-90 and iodine-129, which will be released in the discharges, have been ignored.” Those scientists include members of the US National Association of Marine Laboratories, who would have no reason other than their expertise to side with China over Japan.
So is it really safe? Not everyone is certain that it is, which should have been sufficient cause to put a halt to the release. But above all, it is a matter of common sense, and of appreciating – or rather not appreciating in this case – the widespread and understandable fears associated with any materials that have passed through a plant that suffered the worst nuclear disaster for decades.
The question the Japanese authorities should be asking themselves is not, “how did we not communicate this issue better to our neighbouring countries?”, but “was this at all a good idea in the first place?”
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Australia squads
ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
