One-fourth of Hongkongers deterred from visiting Japan amid nuclear water concerns: survey
Local | 18 Feb 2024 8:11 pm
About 25 percent of Hong Kong people were deterred from visiting or buying daily necessities from Japan due to the discharge of Fukushima nuclear wastewater, according to a survey.
A research team from the City University of Hong Kong interviewed over 1,400 locals from October to November 2023 and found that 60 percent believe that the discharge of nuclear water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant will adversely affect their health and increase the risk of diseases.
The result also showed that respondents' knowledge regarding the health risks associated with nuclear waste varied based on their gender and age.
Among those aged over 50, over 60 percent of respondents avoid eating food from Fukushima, and over 30 percent are deterred from traveling to Japan.
However, for those aged between 20 and 29, less than 40 percent are concerned about eating Fukushima food, and nearly 80 percent are willing to visit Japan.
The survey found that more than 70 percent of the respondents welcomed the radiation monitoring arrangement.
They believed that instead of imposing import restrictions to lower the potential health risks, conducting comprehensive radiation level testing of imported food from Japan, announcing sample test results, and monitoring radiation levels in the local environment and seafood would be more effective.
The team pointed out that while most respondents would avoid consuming food from the Fukushima area, people in Hong Kong still exhibit a keen interest in traveling to Japan or purchasing Japanese products.
