A giant whale sculpture made of ocean plastic waste is being exhibited in London, but what was meant to raise awareness on pollution has caused an online stir in Japan, after the display contained what appeared to be debris from the 2011 tsunami. In a post on the social media platform X, a user said, “I was surprised” after spotting the Japanese characters for “Ishinomaki” on the object, which w a s described as being made o u t of “waste”. Ishinomakiwa sone of the cities in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, that were hit hardest by the tsunami on 11 March 2011. Another user posted an image showing a plastic basket bearing the name of a port in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, that was also affected by the tsunami. The plastic used in the sculpture was collected from beaches in Hawaii, according to Canary Wharf Group, a London-based property developer that exhibited the 11-metre-tall artwork. Unveiled in a London business district on 10 April the sculpture was designed as a “reminder of the millions of tonnes of plastic waste swimming in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans”. The firm issued an apology on TikTok to those who were offended by the display. — Kyodo
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