TITLE:
The Battle for Public Opinion of “Japan’s Nuclear Wastewater Sea Discharge”
AUTHORS:
Yuanbo Qi, Keke You, Shanshan Guo
KEYWORDS:
Fukushima Nuclear Accident, Fukushima Radioactive Wastewater, Discourse, Public Opinion
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.12 No.3,
July
18,
2022
ABSTRACT: The Japanese government’s decision to drain nuclear waste into the sea
from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is set to begin in 2023,
could stymie geopolitical cooperation and collaboration, as well as the risk of
radioactive elements in the wastewater having an incalculable impact on the
planet’s ecology and human society. Using qualitative content analysis, this
article evaluates the history of the Japanese nuclear wastewater disaster, as
well as support and opposition voices from other countries, academia, and civil
society organizations. It explains how China may use the “policy + public
opinion” system of governments and non-governmental organizations to defend its interests in international public
opinion and eventually gain worldwide discourse power that matches
China’s strength.