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\"The gap between the gravity of the problems we face and the levity of the character is huge,\" a local fisherman told Japan's Kyodo News Agency.

Suga promised they would reduce the tritium concentration to \"one-fortieth or less of the domestic regulatory standard value,\" or levels small enough to be largely considered safe by the nuclear energy community.

While nuclear operators around the world release small amounts of tritium into the ocean as part of standard operating procedures, Brown told ABC News that it's a \"false comparison to say that Fukushima Dai-ichi is the same.\"

\"What we're dealing with is a stopgap emergency response to a horrific nuclear disaster,\" he said, noting that the release is not being done as part of the designed operation of the plant.

\"Another criticism of ours is that there should be a process, a full environmental impact assessment before the decision is made,\" Brown said. While a limited assessment was carried out, he added, \"It has not been done transparently.\"

\"PHOTO:
DigitalGlobe via Getty Images
PHOTO: In this satellite view, the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power plant after a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami, March 14, 2011, in Futaba, Japan.
>

\"We think that if it is done the way they said they are going to do it, then the impact on health and the environment can be very low,\" he added. \"But the point is there has been such bad faith all along that none of us should take it on their word. We believe it needs to be independently verified.\"

Kurokawa added that while the tritium debate has dominated discussion, there's evidence that there could be trace amounts of other radioactive elements in the wastewater destined for the Pacific.

\"I just testified in the parliament, there are other sort of radioactivities in addition to tritium,\" he said. \"But nobody talks much about this.\"

While he said he genuinely believes the levels are within accepted norms, it sill must be disclosed.

\"It's safe, but you have to say it,\" he said.

Kurokawa is advocating for TEPCO and the Japanese government to invest in a highly transparent, bilingual website that is constantly being updated with the latest data and plans for Fukushima.

\"I think all the data has to be available because in this connected world, transparency is a foundation of trust,\" he said. \"You just cannot hide it.\"

The city of Minamiosama, where Sakurai was mayor, was among the hardest-hit by the disaster. Kurokawa and his team's report found that 44% of evacuees from Fukushima were residents of this city. Data indicates that even after it was declared safe, it still suffered a mass exodus of its young people.

\"The Japanese government has prepared for the Olympics while upholding the 'disaster recovery' label, even though a recovery is far from reality,\" Sakurai said to the Mainichi newspaper in July 2020. \"It is superficial to declare a recovery with no actual progress.\"

\"The government is now talking of an Olympics that could be a sign of humanity's triumph over the pandemic, but vaccines have not yet been put into practical use, and the world has not yet been freed from the risk of infection,\" he added. \"There is no chance of success by trying to box in reality to meet the labels the government upholds. The idea of a 'coronavirus Olympics' may also likely end as a mere fantasy.\"

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.com/Sports/Olympics

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