China also has a more efficient energy transfer system than elsewhere in the world, so the loss is a lot less than you would expect, lower than, for example, it would be in US.

It appears China and Russia are visa-free for each other’s tour groups since 2023.

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If ALPS, this fancy amazing mysterious process, has actually successfully filtered out all 64 potentially irradiating elements in the water that had touched Fukushima’s exposed core, the inventers should be awarded ALL the prizes in the world for science, peace, betterment of humanity , etc. They should publish their process and results in all the science journals for the world to admire. For ye, all our nuclear fears are solved! Let nuclear energy proliferate hereon!

But no. Japan refuses to let any other country do testing at release points. They budget 70 billion yen for PR purposes for a release program that only cost 34 billion yen (cheapest option out of 5). They conduct a test for only 2 elements, saying their safe levels mean the water itself is entirely safe.

All this can be resolved SO EASILY if they just allow scientists from affected countries to check the process and test the water at regular intervals, then publish their result to indicate continued safety. Korean people won’t have to demonstrate on the street by the 50,000, China/HK/USA/etc will instantly permit importing their seafood again. Folks will stop hoarding salt, and all can take a deep breath and chill. Win win.

But they won’t.

It’s the SCMP, Lol. The content is occasionally objective, but the readership is like 80% anti-China.

I’m not surprised to hear that. I understand that a quite large chunk of the costs they listed for this water release program is actually, when parsed, the cost for the PR campaign to make it all seem aboveboard and acceptable.

This is water that actually touched the exposed core from Fukushima during the disaster, and not the typical water used to cool nuclear cores as had been released for 60 years.

The release is extremely controversial in Asia, there have been riots and sit-in’s in Japan and Korea, and accusation of receiving bribes for the organization that testified as to the radioactivity. The price of salt in Korea is inflating as well (people are hording fearing future salt will be contaminated). Korea has set up a program to inspect radioactivity every two months, at 10 potential contact points, despite saying they’re OK with the release. Japan has refused all requests for inspection of their treatment methods, nor fully released the details.

This event has been really downplayed in all the English media I’ve seen, while highlighting China’s response as though it alone is being hysterical. Some analyst have speculated that this might have been one of the items Japan requested in the recent meeting with Korea and US at Camp David.

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Europe might have been more fun before they were dragged through the mud of the Russian-Ukraine conflict and taken to the cleaners by USA regarding their oil and deindustrialization. Europe is really not looking too great in the coming decades. With their resources drained, how long can they keep their work/life balance and comforts? There will be more and more austerity measures, fewer social services, and fewer jobs.