Japan plans to release more than a million tonnes of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean this year, a top government spokesman said on Friday, 13 January.
The plan has been endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The government will wait for “a comprehensive report” by the UN watchdog before the release, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Cooling systems at the plant were overwhelmed when a massive undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami in 2011, causing the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
Decommissioning work is underway and expected to take around four decades.
On average, the site produced 100 cubic metres (3,500 cubic feet) of contaminated water each day in the April-November period last year. It is a combination of groundwater, seawater and rainwater that seeps into the area and water used for cooling.
The water is filtered to remove various radionuclides and moved to storage tanks. More than 1.3 million cubic metres are currently stored on-site, and space is running out.
“We expect the timing of the release would be sometime during this spring or summer,” after release facilities are completed and tested, and the IAEA’s comprehensive report is released, Matsuno said.
“The government will make the utmost efforts to ensure safety and take preventive measures against bad rumours.”
Fukushima water will be safe for all
The comments reference persistent concerns from neighbouring countries and local fishing communities about the release plan.
Fishermen in the region fear reputational damage from the release. They have been attempting for years to reestablish trust in their products through strict testing.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says the treated water meets national standards for radionuclide levels, except for one element, tritium, which experts say is only harmful to humans in large doses.
It plans to dilute the water to reduce tritium levels and release it offshore over several decades via a one-kilometre-long (0.6-mile) underwater pipe.
The IAEA has said the release meets international standards and “will not cause any harm to the environment”.
Regional neighbours, including China and South Korea, and groups such as Greenpeace, have criticised the plan.
The March 2011 disaster in northeast Japan left around 18,500 people dead or missing, most killed by the tsunami.
Tens of thousands of residents around the Fukushima plant were ordered to evacuate their homes or chose to do so.
Around 12 per cent of the Fukushima region was once declared unsafe. No-go zones now cover around two per cent. However, populations in many towns remain far lower than before.
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