Koji Suzuki, who has surfed the waters off Fukushima Prefecture for nearly half a century, was in his home not far north of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on March 11, 2011, when a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan.
His home and surf shop in the city of Minamisoma were swept away by the massive wave that wrecked the plant, just 35 kilometers away, setting off meltdowns and fears of radiation that led to widespread evacuations.
But the tanned, wiry 68-year-old is not worried about plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' release of treated wastewater that began on Thursday, which triggered protests and prompted China to ban imports of all Japanese seafood.