Japanese seafood businesses question plan of Fukushima nuke wastewater discharge

Tokyo, June 21 Local seafood businesses in Japan's Fukushima have said the Japanese government has not yet provided a sufficient explanation of the planned release of radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

About 30 people, including owners of fish stores, restaurants and other seafood-related businesses in Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture, invited government officials to a study session at the city's central wholesale fish market on Tuesday, in a bid to seek a full explanation about the release plan, public broadcaster NHK said.

A government official said the effects of the release will be minimal for humans and the environment, while a participant said fish stores will face questions from consumers about the safety of seafood, according to the NHK.

Another attendant said the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) should think closely about why people are skeptical about the safety of marine products caught in waters near the plant, said the report.

The president of a fisheries company, Koji Suzuki, who organised the session, said people in seafood-related businesses have not been given an explanation on the planned release, adding that although he is opposed to the plan, he needs additional information that he can share with his customers, Xinhua news agency reported.