FUKUSHIMA, JAKTIMES.COM – The release of nuclear wastewater into the sea from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant’s reactors will begin on August 24, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the decision would be executed if there are no weather or sea-related obstacles.
“The decision has been made to start releasing the water on August 24, if there are no hindrances in terms of weather and sea conditions,” he said, as reported by TASS, on Tuesday (22/8/2023).
Kishida promised that the Japanese government will continue to take responsibility for the release of the purified Fukushima nuclear power plant wastewater, even if it takes decades.
The announcement of the Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater release was made while a number of activists gathered outside the Japanese Prime Minister’s office to protest against the plan.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that China and Russia have sent Japan a list of technical issues that will arise if the plan to release Fukushima’s wastewater into the sea is implemented.
As known, nuclear reactors use water for cooling, and the storage of this water becomes a future problem due to its large volume exceeding 1.25 million tons.
The Japanese government approved this wastewater disposal, claiming that most of it is clean from radioactive materials but still contains tritium – a radioactive hydrogen isotope. This decision was made in April 2021.
Tokyo Electric Power Company underlines that the tritium content in this wastewater is one-fortieth of the minimum standard allowed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the Japanese government, and one-seventh of the level permitted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water.
Nevertheless, Japan’s plan to release nuclear wastewater has received sharp criticism from several countries, especially South Korea and China.
Furthermore, Japan plans to gradually release the water into the sea over a 30-year period. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continuously monitor the process in the coming years. Previously, IAEA specialists have conducted several inspections at the nuclear power plant (Wan)
