Starting this week on Aug 24, Japan’s Fukushima water is to be released into ocean. Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, putting into motion a plan that has drawn strong criticism from China.
The plan, approved two years ago by the Japanese government as crucial to decommissioning the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, has also faced criticism from local fishing groups, who fear reputational damage and a threat to their livelihood.
Prime Minister on Japan’s Fukushima water release
“I have asked Tokyo Electric Power Company to swiftly prepare for the water discharge in accordance with the plan approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, and expect the water release to start on August 24, weather conditions permitting,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday morning.
“I promise that we will take on the entire responsibility of ensuring the fishing industry can continue to make their living, even if that will take decades,” Kishida said on Monday.
As per Japan Fukushima water release is safe. The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, greenlighted the Fukushima radioactive water release plan in July, saying that it met international standards and that the impact it would have on people and the environment was “negligible”.
Neighboring countries skepticism
The plan for release of Fukushima radioactive water has caused uproar in neighboring countries and have expressed skepticism over the safety. Few of the counties including:
China
Beijing is emerging as the biggest critic over the safety in release of Japans Fukushima water plan. Foreign ministry of China spokesman Wang Wenbin said in July that Japan had shown selfishness and arrogance, and had not fully consulted the international community about the Fukushima radioactive water release.
China bans seafood imports from 10 prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima and the capital, Tokyo. Seafood imports from other prefectures are allowed but must pass radioactivity tests and have proof they were produced outside the 10 banned prefectures.
South Korea
South Korean activists have also protested the plan, although Seoul has concluded from its own study that the water release meets international standards and said it respects the IAEA’s assessment.
Pacific Island nations
Pacific Island nations have been split over the matter, given their own history of being nuclear testing sites for the United States and France. Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, issued a statement on Monday saying that he backed the IAEA report, but acknowledged that the issue is controversial in the Pacific Islands.
Filtering of Fukushima radioactive water
Kishida said on Tuesday that he believed an “accurate understanding” of the matter was spreading in the international community.
Japan says the water will be filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. The treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific.
The water was used to cool the fuel rods of Fukushima Daiichi after it melted down in an accident caused by a huge tsunami in 2011 that battered Japan’s eastern coast.
Test of Fukushima radioactive water before release
A Japanese official said the first test results of the Fukushima radioactive water after the discharge may be available at the start of September. Japan will also test fish in the waters near the plant, and make the test results available on the agriculture ministry’s website.
