Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant Discharges Wastewater into Pacific Ocean: Concerns and Controversies

Aug 24, 2023 at 6:35 AM Update: an hour ago

Japan has begun discharging wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. According to the country and nuclear agency IAEA, this is responsible, but fishermen, among others, are concerned.

Japan wants to discharge 1.3 million tons of waste water. That is equivalent to about five hundred Olympic swimming pools. The water is now almost completely free of radioactivity and meets the safety standards of the nuclear agency.

Yet there is a lot of protest. In July, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was met at the airport of the South Korean capital Seoul by dozens of angry demonstrators. Fishermen are concerned about the influence of the water on their catch.

According to environmental organization Greenpeace, there is still a lot of radioactive material in the water, which has been spread over the sea for decades in this way.

Import ban and additional checks by neighboring countries

The plan has also been criticized in neighboring countries. China, the largest importer of Japanese seafood, is particularly against the discharge. A government spokesman previously accused Japan of “just dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean”.

China has even banned food imports from Japan. Hong Kong will monitor Japanese food more closely.

Nuclear expert Tony Hooker of the University of Adelaide, Australia, has dismissed the criticism as scaremongering. The water has been filtered and the amount of tritium is said to be far below the permitted level. The impact on the environment is “negligible” according to the IAEA.

Discharge necessary due to full storage tanks

The water was used to cool the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. It was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, leading to one of the world’s most serious nuclear incidents ever.

The tanks with the water are full. Therefore, according to Japan, it is necessary to pour the water into the ocean. This will be a maximum of 500,000 liters per day.

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07 July 2023 at 08:22

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Image: AP

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2023-08-24 04:35:00
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