- Russia on Tuesday expressed “serious concern” about Japan’s wastewater plan.
- Japan plans to gradually release irradiated water from the Fukushima power station into the sea.
- Russia has followed Japan’s other neighbors – China and South Korea – to protest.
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Russia has expressed “serious concern” about Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the ocean.
Japan announced on Tuesday that it intends to gradually spill water from the Fukushima power station, which was one of the worst nuclear disasters in the world in 2011.
“We express serious concern in this regard and expect the Government of Japan to show the necessary transparency,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria said on Tuesday.
Russia is calling for a “detailed explanation of all aspects” of Japan’s plan to dump radioactive water into the ocean, Zakharova said, calling Japan’s statements so far “inadequate”.
China and South Korea also condemned the move, calling it “highly irresponsible” and “unacceptable”.
Their statements are in contrast to those of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said in a statement on Tuesday that the procedure was safe and not particularly unusual. The US also praised Japan’s plan.
Nevertheless, Japan’s three closest neighbors – China, Russia and South Korea – are all unhappy. In response to the announcement, South Korea has summoned the Japanese ambassador and Seoul is investigating ways to bring Japan’s decision before an international court.
According to TASS, a Russian state news outlet, Russia also regretted that Japan did not consult on these plans before proceeding.
Zakharova said that among official information provided by Japan, among missing information is not an assessment of environmental risks for the Pacific region.
North Korea has not formally objected to the latest move, but has opposed previous versions of the plan.
According to the plan, more than 1 million tons of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, will be gradually released into the sea within two years.
The water is currently kept in steel tanks, but space is running low. The water was treated to remove most radioactive contamination, but one element, tritium, remained.
Tritium is fairly harmless in low concentrations and if the water is gradually released into the ocean, the pollution could be diluted below the healthy levels of the World Health Organization, Japan said.