Japan to release Fukushima water into ocean from Aug. 24
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[August 23, 2023]
By Sakura Murakami and Tom Bateman
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing into the
sea more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water from
the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, going ahead with a
plan heavily criticized by China.
The plan, approved two years ago by the Japanese government as crucial
to decommissioning the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco),
has also faced criticism from local fishing groups fearing reputational
damage.
"I expect the water release to start on August 24, weather conditions
permitting," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
The announcement comes a day after the government said it had won "a
degree of understanding" from the fishing industry over the release of
the water into the Pacific Ocean, even as fishing groups said they still
feared the reputational damage would ruin their livelihood.
The water will initially be released in smaller portions and with extra
checks, with the first discharge totaling 7,800 cubic meters over about
17 days starting Thursday, Tepco said.
That water will contain about 190 becquerels of tritium per litre, below
the World Health Organization drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels
per liter, according to Tepco. A becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.
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Japan has said that the water release is safe. The International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog, greenlighted the plan
in July, saying that it met international standards and that the impact
it would have on people and the environment was "negligible".
About 56% of respondents to a survey conducted by Japanese broadcaster
FNN over the weekend said they supported the release, while 37% opposed.
"The IAEA and many other countries have said it's safe, so I believe it
is. But fishermen are facing so many problems so the Japanese government
needs to do something to convince them," said 77-year-old NGO worker
Hiroko Hashimoto.
SCEPTICISM ABROAD
Despite assurances, some neighboring countries have also expressed
skepticism over the safety of the plan, with Beijing the biggest critic.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called the move
"extremely selfish". He said China was deeply concerned about the
decision and had lodged a formal complaint.
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![](../images/082323PIX/news_h13.jpg)
An aerial view shows the storage tanks
for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 22,
2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via
REUTERS
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Wang said China "will take all necessary measures to protect the
marine environment, food safety, and public health," but did not
mention any specific measures.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee called the discharge
"irresponsible" and said the city would "immediately activate"
import controls on Japanese seafood from regions including capital
Tokyo and Fukushima starting Thursday.
The ban, which will also be implemented by Macau, would cover live,
frozen, refrigerated, dried seafood, as well as sea salt and
seaweed.
South Korea said in a statement released Tuesday that it sees no
problem with the scientific or technical aspects of the plan, but
did not necessarily agree with or support it.
The matter has required President Yoon Suk Yeol to strike a balance
as he seeks better relations with Japan while risking consumer
backlash at home.
Despite the unease abroad, Kishida said he believed an "accurate
understanding" of the matter was spreading in the international
community.
Japan says it will remove most radioactive elements from the water
except for tritium, a hydrogen isotope that must be diluted because
it is difficult to filter.
"Nuclear power plants worldwide have routinely discharged water
containing tritium for over 60 years without harm to people or the
environment, most at higher levels than the 22 TBq per year planned
for Fukushima," Tony Irwin, an honorary associate professor at the
Australian National University, said in a note.
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A Japanese official said the first test results of the seawater
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.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, and Tom Bateman in Tokyo;
Martin Pollard in Beijing; Farah Master and Twinnie Siu in Hong
Kong; Hyonhee Shin and Ju-min Park in Seoul; David Stanway in
Singapore; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle and Giles Elgood)
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