The Japanese government has approved plans to discharge millions of tons of radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant accident into the Pacific Ocean. China has criticized Japan’s decision as irresponsible; the U.S. says Japan’s plan meets international nuclear safety standards.
The plan was approved Tuesday (April 13) at a meeting of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s cabinet. TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, plans to start discharging 1.3 million tons of contaminated wastewater into the ocean when the plant’s storage tanks are full in 2022.
Kan said the plan to send wastewater to the sea is an “inevitable” part of the process of scrapping the Fukushima plant. Tokyo Electric Power Co. will filter the water to remove harmful nuclear isotopes and further dilute it before releasing it.
Local fishing groups near Fukushima have strongly criticized the wastewater disposal plan, fearing the impact of contaminated seawater on marine life.
Japan’s neighbors, China and South Korea, have also criticized Tokyo’s disposal plan.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on April 13 that Japan’s “unilateral decision to dispose of nuclear waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident by discharging it into the sea” is “extremely irresponsible and will seriously damage international public health and safety and the vital interests of people in neighboring countries.
South Korea said that Japan’s approach could have “direct and indirect effects on the safety of the Korean people and the surrounding environment”. The South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned the Japanese ambassador hours after the statement was issued to lodge a formal protest.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on its website on April 12 supporting Japan’s decision, saying it was “consistent with globally accepted standards of nuclear safety.
The statement said: The United States understands that the Japanese government has examined several options related to the management of treated water currently stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In this unique and challenging situation, Japan has weighed the options and implications, been transparent about the decision, and demonstrated that they have taken an approach that is consistent with globally recognized standards of nuclear safety. We look forward to continued coordination and communication with the Japanese government as they monitor the effectiveness of this approach.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake triggered a tsunami that swept through northeastern Japan, which struck Fukushima Prefecture and crippled the nuclear power plant.
The giant wave destroyed the power supply and cooling systems at the plant, causing three reactors at the plant to melt down, sending massive amounts of radiation into the air and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents in what became the world’s worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
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