Aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan © Wikipedia photo
In response to the Japanese government’s decision on the 13th to discharge the tritium-containing nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea after diluting it from the 311 earthquake, Taiwan, South Korea and China have expressed their opposition, and the Japanese government has asked the IAEA to assist in this regard, and the IAEA has indicated that it will send an international investigation mission consisting of experts from various countries to Japan to test the safety of nuclear wastewater discharge practices. Japan’s ambassador to South Korea revealed today that it is considering the participation of South Korea in the supervision of Fukushima’s nuclear waste water discharge.
The Japanese ambassador to South Korea, Takayoshi Aisei, said on the 19th that he would consult with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the issue of South Korea sending experts to participate in the IAEA mission to monitor the process of discharging nuclear wastewater from Fukushima. According to Yonhap News Agency, Aisung Takayoshi made the statement in an interview after attending the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-China-Japan Cooperation Affairs Bureau in Seoul on the same day. He stressed that the Japanese side’s opinion so, but the issue needs to be decided in consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the South Korean government.
On the Korean side’s point that the Japanese side has failed to provide sufficient verification information on its discharges to “ensure the safety of Korean nationals,” Aisei said that the Japanese side has provided the relevant information as far in advance as possible, and if there are still opinions that the relevant information is insufficient, we will continue to make various efforts.
According to Aisei Takayoshi, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called it “polluted water”, but what Japan will discharge is “treated water” that has undergone a purification process. He said that the Japanese side will safely take care of the health of the nationals of neighboring countries, and the International Atomic Energy Agency mission will also monitor.
According to the Central News Agency, the Japanese government intends to start discharging nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea after two years, triggering opposition from neighboring countries, Japan’s ambassador to South Korea Takayoshi Aisei said today that he is discussing with the International Atomic Energy Agency whether to involve South Korean experts in monitoring the discharge process.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong showed signs of relaxation when he went to the National Assembly today to answer questions, saying that “if the procedures that meet IAEA standards are indeed followed, there is no need to insist on opposition”. Jung Eui-yong said that South Korea has three demands on the matter, the disclosure of adequate information with scientific basis, fuller prior agreement, to ensure the participation of Korean experts or representatives of the Institute in the IAEA verification process.
As for the U.S. position, which differs from the Korean side in many ways, Jung said the U.S. supports the Japanese government on the premise that “the issue of nuclear wastewater discharge must pass the IAEA’s suitability determination. He said that the South Korean side has indeed explained its position to the U.S. side and sought understanding.
According to a report in the Liberty Times, the Japanese government has decided to start discharging wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea in two years, causing neighboring countries such as China and South Korea to jump to their feet, but following the revelation that China also discharges nuclear wastewater into the sea, and that the discharge standard is 10 times higher than that of Fukushima, it has also been revealed that South Korea’s Wolseong nuclear power plant discharges wastewater containing tritium into the sea.
According to the report, 김준일, a veteran Korean journalist who often appears on major current affairs and broadcasting programs, wrote on his news platform NewsToF (뉴스페) that the South Korean government is ostensibly angry with the Tokyo authorities’ decision to discharge nuclear wastewater, and the Foreign Ministry and President Moon Jae-in have summoned the Japanese ambassador to South Korea for this purpose. However, the government said that it would set up a task force, but in reality it was just “playing lip service”, because diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan had fallen to a freezing point, and there was no practical action. He pointed out that South Korea’s Wolseong nuclear power plant also discharges tritium-containing wastewater into the ocean, which is like pointing one finger at others and four fingers at oneself.
The report said that in response to the concerns and protests of neighboring countries, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry previously pointed out that, compared to China’s Daya Bay nuclear power plant, which emitted 42 megabecks in 2002, and South Korea’s Moon City nuclear power plant, which emitted a total of 136 megabecks of nuclear wastewater and nuclear waste gas in 2016, it is expected that the upper limit of radiation value of Fukushima’s annual nuclear wastewater emissions is only 22 megabecks, and whether it is Japan or other countries, their nuclear wastewater and nuclear waste gas emissions contain diluted Whether it is Japan or other countries, their nuclear waste water and gas contain diluted tritium.
According to the Liberty Times, China and South Korea also discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea, which seems to confirm what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a nuclear watchdog under the United Nations, said recently: the discharge of nuclear wastewater into the sea is actually a common practice of nuclear power plants in various countries.
Japan has finalized the policy of discharging nuclear wastewater from Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea in a diluted manner, which has been endorsed by the IAEA, and IAEA Administrator Rafael Mariano Grossi emphasized that the IAEA is ready to support Japan in dealing with Fukushima nuclear wastewater. According to the IAEA, the radioactive elements will be reduced to safe standards before the release. Although the current purification system is unable to separate tritium from nuclear wastewater, tritium is so low in radioactivity that its external radiation does not pose a health risk and will not enter fish or humans through the food chain.
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