Japanese people rally against dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater into sea

As Japan moves to push ahead with dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, local residents are expressing their anger and opposition.

In front of the TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo, a large number of people gathered Saturday to express their strong opposition to the discharge plan by holding various banners and signs, or handing out leaflets.

Japanese people also gathered in front of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to protest the discharge plan on Friday.

Saturday marks the 12th year after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan, which is also known in the country as the Great East Japan Earthquake. On March 11, 2011, an ensuing tsunami also led to core meltdowns at the Fukushima power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.