Japan will dump a million tons of radioactive water into the ocean: neighboring countries are protesting

The Japanese government has authorized the release of more than 1 million tons of water into the ocean from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, which was damaged by the tsunami in 2011, writes Air force.

Photo: Shutterstock

Tokyo assures that the water will be cleared of radioactive substances and its discharge into the ocean will be safe, but the authorities of neighboring countries are concerned about this decision.

According to the Japanese authorities, the preparation process for the discharge of water will take about two years. During this time, the station operator Tokyo Electric Power plans to remove harmful substances from it, build the necessary infrastructure for this and obtain regulatory approval.

Tokyo argues that the water discharge is necessary for the comprehensive decommissioning of the tsunami-damaged plant, noting that similarly filtered water is regularly discharged from nuclear power plants around the world.

As Reuters notes, almost 1,3 million tons of water, which could fill about 500 Olympic swimming pools, are stored in huge tanks at Fukushima, and there is practically no free space left in them.

This water has been purified from most dangerous radioactive substances, but contains tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that cannot be completely extracted from it technically.

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However, Japan claims that by the time it is discharged, the tritium content in the water will meet the World Health Organization standard for drinking water, and will be 40 times lower than the safe level set by the country's regulations.

Concerns about the decision of the Japanese authorities to dump water from Fukushima into the ocean were expressed by the authorities of South Korea and China.

“The people of the Republic of Korea are protesting against the decision of the Japanese authorities. In turn, the government will require Japan to take measures to ensure the safety of our citizens and prevent harm to the marine ecosystem,” said Koo Yun-chul, head of the country’s government policy coordination department, after the emergency meeting.

The Japanese Ambassador to Seoul, Koichi Aiboshi, was summoned to the South Korean Foreign Ministry on the morning of April 13 for the first time since taking office in February of this year.

China said water releases from Fukushima should not begin until agreements are reached with neighboring countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“We urge Japan to be responsible, adhere to a scientific approach, fulfill its international obligations and properly respond to the serious concerns of the international community, neighboring countries and their citizens,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a live-streamed cabinet meeting that the government will ensure the safety of the water release process and “will take all measures to avoid damage from the spread of incorrect information.”

Last year, a government commission recommended releasing water from Fukushima into the sea, but this was actively opposed by representatives of the fishing industry, who feared mass refusals of any seafood produced in this zone.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Water contaminated with radiation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan can damage human DNA and, if released into the ocean, will cause long-term effects on the marine environment. About it said environmental organization GreenPeace.

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