Japan to dump radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea

The Japanese government announced on Tuesday that it would start offloading large quantities of radioactive water, previously processed and stored at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The atomic power station suffered a serious accident after the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, which left more than 15,000 dead.

The measure, known 10 years after this national tragedy, provoked the rejection of fishermen and inhabitants of the area who organized mobilizations to oppose the announcement.

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Radioactive water would start to be dumped in the sea in about two years, according to the official decision taken at a meeting of cabinet ministers.

This possibility had been under consideration for some time, but the proposal had not moved forward due to strong security concerns and protests. In September, the stored water amounted to 1.23 million tonnes and filled 1,044 reservoirs.

Water has been stored in reservoirs at the Fukushima Daiichi plant since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011. Then the reactors were damaged, the cooling system was contaminated and started to leak. , causing a national emergency.

The government is committed to working to ensure safe water and help local agriculture, fishing and tourism.

In turn, the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), said its storage capacity would be full in the fall of 2022.

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What the Japanese government said

The Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, said at the ministerial meeting that the government considers the discharge of water into the sea to be “the most realistic” thing, and stressed that doing so is “inevitable to achieve the recovery of Fukushima”.

According to TEPCO and government officials, tritium (a naturally occurring isotope of radioactive hydrogen but not harmful in small amounts) cannot be removed from the water. However, they do ensure that other radioisotopes can be reduced to permitted levels so that they can be released into the sea.

TEPCO will begin discharging water approximately two years after the construction of a facility that meets regulatory authority safety requirements. According to the company, the elimination of water it can no longer be postponed and further believes that there is a need to improve the environment around the factory so that residents can live there safely.

The process could take decades.

Protests grow

The announcement sparked immediate protests from the local population. Fishermen fear that consumers will avoid consuming local products.

Some scientists have even warned that the long-term impact on marine life from exposure to these radioactive elements at low doses in such large volumes of water is unknown.

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The president of the Japanese fishermen’s cooperative, Hiroshi Kishi, said the spill was “totally unacceptable”.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace condemned the decision and said the measure “violates the human rights and interests of the people of Fukushima, Japan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region”.

The announcement also prompted rejection from the governments of South Korea, China and Taiwan.

Atomic Energy Agency Approval

From the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its owner, Argentinian Rafael Grossi, defended the Japanese decision in a statement and supported “the realization of a safe and transparent plan”.

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“The method established by Japan it is technically feasible and it is in accordance with the usual practices carried out at the international level ”, he indicated.

For Grossi, this decision is a “turning point that will help pave the way for the complete discharge of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant”.

The Tokyo decision “is consistent with world practice, even though it is such a complicated and different case as that of Fukushima. Nuclear safety is a national responsibility and that is why the government has decided to remedy the situation and take action, ”he said.