Japan Releases Fukushima Wastewater Amid Concerns

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• Discharge is considered safe by Japan but criticized by China.
• Move is a significant step in decommissioning the hazardous site.
• China deems Japan’s plan “selfish and irresponsible,” vows to monitor impact.

Japan initiated the release of wastewater from the compromised Fukushima nuclear plant, a move it asserts is secure but has sparked strong opposition from China. This discharge, encompassing approximately 540 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water, will unfold over multiple decades and constitutes a significant phase in decommissioning the site, which remains perilous even 12 years after one of the world’s most severe nuclear accidents.

Live footage provided by the plant’s operator, TEPCO, revealed engineers managing computer screens and an official confirming, following a countdown, the opening of the “valves near the seawater transport pumps.” The United Nations’ atomic watchdog, which has endorsed the plan, dispatched monitors to observe the procedure. TEPCO personnel were also scheduled to gather water samples later on the same day.

In anticipation of the operation, a group of around 10 individuals staged a protest near the site. Simultaneously, about 100 others congregated outside TEPCO’s headquarters in Tokyo, according to AFP reporters on the scene. Kenichi Sato, 68, expressed his strong reservations, likening the action to “dumping an atomic bomb in the ocean.” He pointed out the irony of Japan, the first country ever subjected to an atomic bomb attack, making this decision.

China’s environment ministry issued a strong criticism of Japan’s plan, labeling it as “extremely selfish and irresponsible.” The ministry further indicated its intention to “track and study” the repercussions of the wastewater release on its own waters. This exchange underscores the mounting tensions and concerns between the two nations regarding the potential environmental impact of the Fukushima plant’s wastewater release.

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