TOKYO – The Japanese government on Tuesday decided to start releasing treated radioactive water from the devastated nuclear power plant in Fukushima in the Pacific within two years – an option that fiercely opposes fishermen, residents and Japanese neighbors.
The decision, which has long been speculated but postponed for years due to security issues and protests, came at a meeting of cabinet ministers endorsing the release of the ocean as the best option.
The accumulating water has been stored in tanks in the Fukushima Daiichi plant since 2011, when a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged the reactors and their cooling water became contaminated and started leaking. The storage capacity of the plant will be full by the end of next year.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the release of the ocean was the most realistic option and that disposing of the water was inevitable for the dismantling of the Fukushima plant, which is expected to take decades. He also promised that the government will work to ensure the safety of the water and to prevent harmful rumors about local agriculture, fisheries and tourism.
The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., and government officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, can not be removed from the water, but all other selected radionuclides can be reduced to levels allowed for release.
Some scientists believe that the long-term impact on marine life due to exposure to low doses of such large amounts of water is unknown. The government emphasizes the safety of the water by calling it ‘treated’ and not ‘radioactive’, although radionuclides can only be reduced to disposable levels and not to zero.
The amount of radioactive material that would remain in the water is also still unknown. Under the basic plan approved by the ministers on Tuesday, TEPCO will start releasing the water in about two years after a facility is built and release plans are put together that meet the safety requirements.
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It is said that the removal of the water can not be further delayed and that it is necessary to improve the environment around the plant so that residents can live there safely. Residents, fisheries officials and environmental groups have issued statements denying the decision to ignore environmental safety and health, while adding to Fukushima’s image and economy a further blow due to the water drainage that will continue for decades.
The chairman of the Japanese Fisheries Cooperative, Hiroshi Kishi, said the decision was “absolutely unacceptable” less than a week after meeting with Suga. Kishi noted that the government has the promise not to act without the understanding of the fishing industry, saying that the decision has ‘trampled’ all Japanese fishing operators.
Local fisheries are only back in full swing after a decade in which their catch was for testing purposes only, and they are struggling due to declining demand.
Attorney Izutaro Managi and his colleagues representing residents in Fukushima and nearby areas said the government and TEPCO should not dump the water “just to re-impact the environment” – referring to the radiation that is still closest to the country. contaminate the damaged plant.
The lawyers claim in a statement that the release of the ocean was chosen for cost-effectiveness and that forcing the plan “emphasizes their lack of regret” for the disaster.
Protesters also gathered outside the Prime Minister’s office to demand that the plan be withdrawn.
TEPCO says its water storage capacity of 1.37 million tonnes will be full by the fall of 2022. The area now filled with storage tanks will have to be freed up for the construction of new facilities needed for the removal of molten fuel residues from the reactors and for others. dismantling work that is expected to begin in the coming year.
The tanks could also be damaged and leaked in the event of another powerful earthquake or tsunami, the report said.
The release of the water to the ocean has been described by the government panel as the most realistic method that has discussed how to dispose of the water for almost seven years. In the report it compiled last year, evaporation is mentioned as a less desirable option.
According to a preliminary estimate, the gradual release of water will take almost 40 years, but it will be completed before the plant is fully operational.
Japan will adhere to international release rules, gain support from the International Atomic Energy Agency and others, and ensure the disclosure of data and transparency to gain understanding for the international community, the report said.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a video message that the discharge of the ocean is in line with international practice, although “the large amount of water at the Fukushima plant makes it a unique and complex matter.”
He said the IAEA would support Japan in environmental monitoring “before, during and after the dismissal.”
China and South Korea reacted strongly to Tuesday’s ruling.
Koo Yun-cheol, South Korea’s minister of government policy coordination office, said the plan was “absolutely unacceptable” and called on Japan to disclose how the water is being treated and its safety verified.
China has criticized Japan’s decision as ‘extremely irresponsible’, saying it has not taken into account the health problems of neighboring countries.