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world news Diabierna 5 augustus 2022

Myanmar charges Japanese journalist with spreading fake news

(AP) — A Japanese vid- charged with incitement, and armed resistance in the
eo journalist detained in specifically causing fear, countryside.
Myanmar while covering spreading false news, or agi-
a brief pro-democracy tating against a government According to a detailed tally
march has been charged employee. It carries a pen- by the Assistance Associa-
with violating a law alty of up to three years in tion for Political Prisoners, at
against spreading false prison. Most of Myanmar's least 2,148 civilians have been
or alarming news, the imprisoned journalists were killed by the security forces
Southeast Asian country's charged under the same law. and 14,970 arrested since the
military government an- military took power.
nounced Thursday. Kubota is also charged with
violating visa regulations The The military statement said
Toru Kubota, a Tokyo-based statement said Kubota arrived Kubota was detained in Yan-
documentary filmmaker, was in Yangon from Thailand on gon's South Dagon township
arrested Saturday by plain- July 1 with a tourist visa. while taking pictures and
clothes police after taking Kubota is the fifth foreign videos of 10-15 protesters.
images of the protest. journalist detained in Myan- It said he confessed to police net Secretary Seiji Kihara said
mar, after U.S. citizens Na- that he had contacted partici- on Monday that "a Japanese A graduate of Tokyo's Keio
He is the latest of about 140 than Maung and Danny Fen- pants in the protest a day ear- male citizen in his 20s" was University with a master's
journalists arrested since the ster, who worked for local lier to arrange to film it. arrested Saturday while film- degree from the University
military seized power last publications, and freelancers ing a demonstration in Yan- of the Arts London, Kubota,
year from the elected govern- Robert Bociaga of Poland and The statement didn't men- gon and that Japanese Em- 26, has done assignments for
ment of Aung San Suu Kyi. Yuki Kitazumi of Japan. They tion where he is being held. bassy officials have requested Yahoo! News Japan, Vice Ja-
More than half have been re- were all eventually deported. Two protesters in Saturday's his early release. pan and Al Jazeera English.
leased, but the media remains march were also arrested,
under tight restrictions. The army's takeover was op- according to the protest or- Friends of Kubota in Japan His work has focused on eth-
posed by widespread peaceful ganizers, but there was no on Wednesday called for his nic conflicts, immigrants and
A military information office, protests that were suppressed comment about them from immediate release, and an refugee issues, including the
the Tatmadaw True News with lethal force. Opposition the military. online petition has collected plight of Myanmar's perse-
Information Team, said in a continues with peaceful flash more than 41,000 signatures cuted Rohingya Muslim mi-
statement that Kubota was protests in cities and towns, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabi- demanding his freedom. nority.

Construction begins at Fukushima plant for water release

(AP) — The construction of facil- month of a detailed wastewater dis- to levels far below releasable stan- Okuma, for the construction, but lo-
ities needed for a planned release charge plan that TEPCO submitted dards and that the environmental and cal residents and the fishing commu-
of treated radioactive wastewa- in December. health impacts will be negligible. Of nity remain opposed and could still
ter into the sea next year from more than 60 isotopes selected for delay the process. The current plan
the damaged Fukushima nuclear The government announced last year treatment, all but one — tritium — calls for a gradual release of treated
power plant began Thursday de- a decision to release the wastewater as will be reduced to meet safety stan- water to begin next spring in a pro-
spite opposition from the local a necessary step for the plant's ongo- dards, they say. cess that will take decades.
fishing community. ing decommissioning. On Wednesday, Fukushima Gov. Ma-
Local fishing communities and sao Uchibori and the two mayors vis-
Plant workers started construction of A massive earthquake and tsunami in neighboring countries have raised ited Tokyo and asked Economy and
a pipeline to transport the wastewater 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Dai- concerns about potential health haz- Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda
from hillside storage tanks to a coastal ichi plant's cooling systems, causing ards from the radioactive wastewater to ensure safety and prevent further
facility before its planned release next triple meltdowns and the release of and the reputation damage to local damage to the reputation of Fuku-
year, according to the plant opera- large amounts of radiation. Water that produce, and oppose the release. shima fishing products.
tor, Tokyo Electric Power Company was used to cool the three damaged
Holdings. and highly radioactive reactor cores Scientists say the impact of long- Akira Ono, TEPCO chief decommis-
The digging of an undersea tunnel has since leaked into basements of the term, low-dose exposure to not only sioning officer at the plant, promised
was also to begin later Thursday. reactor buildings but was collected tritium but also other isotopes on the the highest efforts to ensure safety
and stored in tanks. environment and humans are still and understanding.
Construction at the Fukushima Dai- unknown and that a release is prema-
ichi plant follows the Nuclear Regu- TEPCO and government officials ture. "We are aware of various views on
lation Authority's formal approval last say the water will be further treated The contaminated water is being reputational impact and safety con-
stored in about 1,000 tanks that re- cerns (of the release) and we'll keep
quire much space in the plant com- explaining throughly to stakehold-
plex. Officials say they must be re- ers," he said.
moved so that facilities can be built TEPCO said Wednesday that weath-
for its decommissioning. The tanks er and sea conditions could delay a
are expected to reach their capacity of completion of the facility until sum-
1.37 million tons in autumn of 2023. mer 2023.

TEPCO said it plans to transport Japan has sought help from the In-
treated and releasable water through ternational Atomic Energy Agency to
a pipeline from the tanks to a coastal ensure the water release meets inter-
pool, where it will be diluted with national safety standards and reassure
seawater and then sent through an local fishing and other communities
undersea tunnel with an outlet about and neighboring countries, including
1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away to mini- China and South Korea, that have op-
mize the impact on local fishing and posed the plan.
the environment.
IAEA experts who visited the plant
TEPCO and the government have earlier this year said Japan was taking
obtained approval from the heads of appropriate steps for the planned dis-
the plant's host towns, Futaba and charge.