Fukushima remedied the emission of radioactive water in two years

Some scientists say the long-term effect on marine life from exposure to low doses of massive amounts of water is unknown.

TOKYO, Japan – The Japanese government decided on Tuesday to begin releasing treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean within two years – an option that has been vehemently opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbors.

The decision, long speculated but delayed for years due to safety concerns and protests, came at a meeting of cabinet ministers who supported the Ocean’s release as the best option.

The accumulated water has been stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant since 2011, when a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged its reactors, contaminated its cooling water and began to leak. The factory will have full storage capacity late next year.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said launching the ocean is the most realistic option and that water disposal is inevitable to shut down the Fukushima plant, which is expected to take decades. He also pledged that the government would work to ensure water safety and prevent rumors harmful to local agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

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The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Corporation, and government officials say that tritium, which is harmless in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but that all other selected radionuclides can be reduced to permissible levels. Some scientists say the long-term effect on marine life from exposure to low doses of such large amounts of water is unknown.

The government stresses water safety by describing it as a “non-radioactive” treatment even though radionuclides can only be reduced to disposable levels, not to zero. Also, the amount of radioactive material that will remain in the water remains unknown.

Under the master plan approved by ministers on Tuesday, TEPCO will begin releasing water in approximately two years after building a facility and compiling release plans that adhere to safety requirements. She said the disposal of the water cannot be delayed further and is necessary to improve the environment around the plant so that residents can live there safely.

Residents, fisheries officials and environmental groups released statements denouncing the decision as ignoring environmental safety and health, while adding another blow to Fukushima’s image and economy from decades of water drainage.

The head of Japan’s fisheries cooperatives Hiroshi Kishi said the decision, less than a week after he eagerly met, was “totally unacceptable”, referring to the government’s pledge not to act without understanding the fishing industry, Kishi said the decision “stomped on” all Japanese fishery operators.

The local fisheries are just back to full capacity after a decade when they were caught only for testing purposes, and they are struggling because of dwindling demand.

Attorney Izotaro Managi and his colleagues representing residents in Fukushima and surrounding areas said that the government and TEPCO should not empty the water “just to affect the environment again” – referring to the radiation still polluting the ground closest to the affected plant. In a statement, the lawyers claimed that the release of the ocean was chosen for its cost-effectiveness and that the imposition of the plan “confirms that they do not regret” the disaster.

Protesters also gathered outside the prime minister’s office to demand a reversal of the plan.

TEPCO says its water storage capacity of 1.37 million tons will be full by fall 2022. The area now filled with storage tanks will have to be liberated to build new facilities needed to remove molten fuel debris from inside and beyond reactors. The decommissioning is expected to begin in the coming years.

In the decade following the tsunami, water intended to cool nuclear material was constantly seeping from damaged primary containment vessels into the basements of the reactor buildings. To compensate for the loss, more water was pumped into the reactors to continue cooling the molten fuel. Water is also pumped and treated, part of it is recycled as cooling water, and the rest is stored in 1,020 tanks that now contain 1.25 million tons of radioactive water.

Economy and Industry Minister Hiroshi Kagiyama said those tanks taking up too much space in the factory were in conflict with the safe and steady progress of decommissioning. In the event of another strong earthquake or tsunami, tanks could be damaged and leaked, the report said.

A government commission has described releasing water into the ocean as the most realistic and for nearly seven years it has discussed how to get rid of the water. My report last year mentioned evaporation as an unwanted option.

The report says that about 70% of the water in the tanks is contaminated beyond the discharge limits but will be filtered again and diluted with sea water before it is released. According to a preliminary estimate, the water releases will take approximately 40 years but will be completed before the plant is fully decommissioned.

The report said that Japan would abide by international rules for release, receive support from the International Atomic Energy Agency and others, and ensure data disclosure and transparency for the international community’s understanding.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in a video message that the discharge into the ocean is in line with international practices, although “the large amount of water in the Fukushima plant makes it a unique and complex situation.” He said the IAEA would support Japan in environmental monitoring “before, during and after the discharge.”

China and South Korea responded strongly to Tuesday’s decision.

Koo Yeon Cheol, Minister of the Government Policy Coordination Office of South Korea, said the plan is “totally unacceptable” and urged Japan to disclose how the water is being treated and verify its safety. Kuo said his government would ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to establish a monitoring system, which South Korea has banned seafood imports from parts of Japan since 2013 and could increase these steps.

China criticized Japan’s decision as “extremely irresponsible,” saying it did not take into account the health concerns of neighboring countries.

Kagiyama is scheduled to visit Fukushima on Tuesday afternoon to meet with local township and fisheries officials to explain the decision and says he will continue to make efforts to understand them over the next two years.

Associated Press writer Kim Tung Hyung in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.

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