Japan’s Nuclear Wastewater Discharge: Chinese & US News Media Coverage

A Comparative Study of Chinese and U.S. News Media Coverage of Japan’s Nuclear Wastewater Discharge
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A Comparative Study of Chinese and U.S. News Media Coverage of Japan’s Nuclear Wastewater Discharge
Introduction
Japan’s decision to release the nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) destroyed in the 11th March 2011 accident at the nuclear site sparked diverse global reactions. According to reports by news media outlets worldwide, the Japanese government approved a plan to begin releasing nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on 13th April 2021. The plan is set to discharge over 100 million tons of nuclear wastewater from the FDNNP over 30 years in what the government hails as the most cost-effective and safest way to deal with the waste. The Japanese government argues that the multi-nuclide treatment of contaminated water from the destroyed nuclear power plant and further dilution before discharge into the Pacific Ocean presents no harm to the ecosystem. The decision has sparked media uproar across the Asian countries, with Chinese media outlets spearheading the regional concern and opposition to the plan. The U.S. media, on the other hand, shows mixed reactions and appears indecisive on what stand to take on Japan’s scheduled plan for discharging the contaminated water from FDNNP. One would expect a unanimous stance by the media on the Japanese government’s plan as its implementation would have severe consequences on the ecosystem from Asia to the American shores of the Pacific. Why then does the Chinese media appear to be so vocal in denouncing the Japanese government plans while their counterparts in the U.S. appear to be disparaging the shared concern and opposition against the plan? Provided herein is a literature review of some of the Chinese and U.S. media coverage of Japan’s wastewater discharge in a comparative study towards highlighting the underlying factors influencing their approaches to the Japanese government plans.
Literature Review
On the eve of the Japanese government’s announcement, Xinhuanet, a Chinese media outlet, headlined China’s grave concerns over the planned disposal of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) CITATION Xin21 \l 1033 (Xinhuanet, 2021). The Chinese media organization echoed the concerns raised by the country’s foreign ministry, claiming that the nuclear accident itself already had far-reaching negative effects on human health, marine life, and food safety. The media release by the organization further references the findings of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stating that discharge of wastewater from the plant would have negative implications on marine and human health in other countries CITATION Xin21 \l 1033 (Xinhuanet, 2021).
China Global Television Network (CGTN) recently published the sentiments of the country’s Foreign Ministry through its spokesperson, who continues to urge the Japanese government to reconsider its decision to carry on with the plan. The spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, pointed out the widespread opposition to the plan across the region, including South Korea and the ...