UN says Japan can dump treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear power plant into ocean
Posted Tue 4 Jul 2023
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Japan has won approval from the UN's nuclear watchdog for its plan to release treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima plant into the ocean, despite fierce resistance locally and from abroad.
Key points:It is expected to take Japan between 30 and 40 years to release the water
South Korea, China and some Pacific Island nations oppose the water release over environmental and health concerns
Beijing has called for the move to be paused
Following a two-year review, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Japan's plans were consistent with international safety standards and they would have a "negligible radiological impact to people and the environment".
"This is a very special night today," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before handing him a thick blue folder containing the final report on Tuesday.
Japan has not specified a date to start the water release, which will take between 30 and 40 years to complete, pending official approval from the national nuclear regulatory body for Tokyo Electric Power.
The nuclear regulator's final word could come as early as this week.
Local Japanese fishing unions have opposed the government's plan, conceived in 2021, saying it would undo work to repair their industry's reputation after several countries banned some Japanese food products following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
South Korea, China and some Pacific Island nations oppose the water release because of concerns about the threat to the marine environment and public health, with Beijing emerging as the biggest critic of the plan.
"Japan will continue to provide explanations to the Japanese people and to the international community in a sincere manner based on scientific evidence and with a high level of transparency," Mr Kishida said as he met with Mr Grossi.
Through its embassy in Japan, Beijing on Tuesday said the IAEA's report could not be a "pass" for the water release and it called for the plan's suspension.
WATCH
Duration: 6 minutes 20 seconds6m
IAEA head to visit Fukushima
Japan maintains the process is safe because it has treated the water used to cool the fuel rods of the Fukushima plant after it was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
The treated radioactive water, stored in about 1,000 tanks that are nearing their 1.37 million tonne capacity, must be removed to prevent accidental leaks and to make room for the plant's decommissioning.
The water has been filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water.
The process of decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant will likely go on for decades.(Supplied: Juntaro Ishikawa)
The treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific.
In a presentation given to foreign journalists in China last month, Japanese officials said tritium levels in the treated water were lower than those found in wastewater regularly released by nuclear plants around the world, including in China.
Japan's controversial Fukushima proposal
Operators of the Fukushima nuclear power plant are set to release treated wastewater into the ocean. But already Japanese authorities are facing a barrage of criticism from fishermen.
The officials said they had made multiple and repeated attempts to explain the science behind Tokyo's stance to Beijing, but their offers had been ignored.
China on Tuesday said Japan's comparison of the tritium levels in the treated water and wastewater was "completely confusing concepts and misleading public opinion".
Mr Grossi will visit the Fukushima plant on Wednesday.
After his Japan trip, he will head to South Korea, where consumers have been snapping up sea salt and other items ahead of the water release.
To ease concerns overseas, Mr Grossi is also expected to visit New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
Some scientists say the impact of long-term, low-dose exposure to radionuclides is unknown.
Others say the release plan is safe but are calling for more transparency in sampling and monitoring of the release.
Wires/ABC
Posted 4 Jul 20234 Jul 2023
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