Since 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has been engaged in slow but steady diplomacy to delay and ultimately halt the planned ocean dumping of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor in Japan. But this effort is being undercut by some Pacific leaders, as they bow to Japanese diplomatic pressure and endorse the proposed ocean dumping plan.
This month, President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr. was welcomed to Japan for meetings with Japanese Minister Fumio Kishida. With support from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Whipps toured the stricken reactor site at Fukushima, coming away with words that delighted his Japanese hosts: “I could see firsthand and confirm the meticulous efforts that scientists and experts have been making to ensure the safety of ALPS treated water.”
According to the Japanese government, “President Whipps stated that he was pleased to visit Japan again and that his trust in Japan in ensuring the safety of marine products and the safety of ALPS treated water was further enhanced by his visit to Fukushima.”
Japanese authorities seized upon another statement this month by PNG Prime Minister James Marape, endorsing statements from past and present Japanese Prime Ministers: “I have been advised by both leaders that the release of the water is being conducted in accordance with all standards – both domestic and international – to comply with the highest safety regulations for human health and the health of the environment.”
After furious reaction in Papua New Guinea, Marape backtracked on the statement, telling Parliament: “My statement was misconceived or misplaced in the sense was there’s no unilateral clearance for [Japan] to discharge any nuclear waste. The discharge of untested, unsafe nuclear waste into our waters is not something we want in PNG waters or Pacific waters.”
For months, the Japanese government and TEPCO have been mounting an active public relations campaign to justify the planned ocean dumping of treated nuclear wastewater. So why are Pacific leaders so careless in their diplomacy, undercutting the Forum’s diplomatic pressure and the ongoing scientific dialogue conducted by the Forum’s independent scientific panel? Japan is a major trade, aid and security partner to many Forum member countries – are the domestic interests of sovereign states trumping regional solidarity?
In a speech on 8 June in Apia, Forum Secretary General Henry Puna reflected the recent divisions within the key regional organisation. He diplomatically suggested that key partners are playing divide and rule, undercutting regional unity around the key objectives of the 2050 Strategy for a Blue Pacific Continent.
“We continue to navigate and manage unprecedented levels of partner interest in our region,” said Puna. “Strategic and geopolitical interests, that seek to influence and shape our futures for us. The onus is on us, as a region, to work together …our solidarity as a region remains absolutely critical, in advancing our shared interests and priorities.”
This solidarity, once again, is showing cracks. Despite recent reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency and Japanese government that purport to greenlight ocean dumping, the Forum’s independent scientific panel has continued to raise concerns over the bioaccumulation of radioactive isotopes in the marine environment, arguing the impact of long-term, low-dose exposure to radionuclides is unknown and the release should be delayed.
As with climate change, WE SAY that island leaders need to listen to the science around the ocean dumping of contaminated wastewater. This year’s summit in Cook Islands will discuss many topics that divide regional opinion – from AUKUS nuclear submarines to deep sea mining and self-determination in West Papua. Our leaders need to work together, in action as well as in their communiqués.
