Japan to release Fukushima nuclear power plant residue in ocean

• More than 150,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity.
• More than a million tonnes of water fromFukushima nuclear power to be released into the ocean this year.
• Fukushima incident in 2011 has been the worst nuclear accident.

More than a million tonnes of water from the defunct Fukushima nuclear power station will reportedly be released into the ocean this year, according to Japan.

The operator stated that most radioactive particle levels after treatment meet the national standard.

Although the idea is deemed safe by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), neighbouring nations have expressed worry.

Since Chernobyl, the Fukushima incident in 2011 has been the worst nuclear accident.

Although decommissioning has already begun, it might take forty years.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated on Friday, “We estimate the timeframe of the release would be somewhere during this spring or summer,” adding that the government will wait for a “full report” from the IAEA before the release.

100 cubic metres of contaminated water, which is a mixture of groundwater, seawater, and water used to keep the reactors cool, are produced by the plant every day. After filtering, it is kept in tanks for storage.

There is already more than 1.3 million cubic metres on the property, so space is limited.

The water is filtered to remove the majority of radioactive isotopes, however operator TEPCO reported that the tritium level is above the national standard. Tritium is only dangerous to humans in high levels, according to experts, and is exceedingly difficult to remove from water.

However, the proposal, which was accepted by the Japanese government in 2021, is opposed by neighbouring nations and local fisherman.
Japan has received criticism from the Pacific Islands Forum for its lack of transparency.

Japan has received criticism from the Pacific Islands Forum for its lack of transparency.

According to Forum Secretary General Henry Puna, “Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and the ocean continues to be a vital aspect of their subsistence livelihood.”

“Japan is going back on the agreement that their leaders made at the high-level conference we convened in 2021.

“It was agreed that prior to this discharge, we would have access to all independent and reliable scientific findings. Japan, regrettably, has not been cooperative.

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit northeastern Japan, causing a massive tsunami to follow.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was struck by the tsunami, flooding three reactors and causing a massive catastrophe.

More than 150,000 people were evacuated from the vicinity as authorities established an exclusion zone that became larger and larger as radiation spilled from the facility. The area is still in effect.

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