Japan Begins Trial Operation of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s Nuclear-Contaminated Water Drainage Equipment Amid Opposition from Fishery Organizations

June 12, 2023 at 21:12 PM

Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company began trial operation of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s nuclear-contaminated water drainage equipment on the 12th.

[China News Agency]According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company began trial operation of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s nuclear contaminated water drainage equipment on the 12th.

According to a report by local media TUF TV station in Fukushima, Japan, TEPCO began trial operation of nuclear contaminated water drainage equipment at around 8:40 that day. TEPCO said that in the trial operation, fresh water and sea water will be mixed and discharged into the ocean about 1 km away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant through the sea discharge tunnel. This test run is expected to last for about 2 weeks to confirm whether the relevant equipment can operate reliably.

Recently, many fishery organizations in Japan reiterated their opposition to the plan to discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea. According to the NHK TV report, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura visited the three counties of Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki on the 10th to exchange views with local fishery groups. The head of the local fishery organization once again expressed his opposition to the plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.

According to reports, Nozaki Tetsu, president of the Federation of Fisheries Associations in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, told Nishimura Yasutoshi that he will continue to adhere to his long-standing position against the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. According to Japan’s Jiji News Agency, Masami Toda, president of the Federation of Fisheries Associations in the Ibaraki Coastal Area, said during the talks that he firmly opposes the plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. The plan to drain the sea has increased fishermen’s anxiety about the future, raising local concerns about the viability of the fishery.