Apenisa Waqairadovu 
Tuvalu’s Minister for Finance, Seve Paeniu, has expressed his government’s apprehension regarding Japan’s proposal to release treated radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-impacted Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Paeniu is currently in Suva, attending the Small Island Developing States Dialogue on Climate Change.
When questioned about Tuvalu’s position on Japan’s plan, given Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s alignment with the scientific assessment of the wastewater’s safety, Paeniu indicates that Tuvalu will persist in its advocacy against the proposal.
“The ocean is our resource, our source of survival for our communities here in the Pacific, and we want to do everything possible to avoid that sort of initiative going ahead.”
Paeniu affirms that they intend to utilize the Pacific Islands Forum as a platform to advocate for their viewpoint.
He asserts that the scientific assertion of the wastewater’s safety remains a subject of debate.
Questioning Japan’s certainty about its safety, Paeniu proposes that if Japan is genuinely confident, why not consider disposing of it within their own lakes and nearby waters.
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