Japan’s decision to dump radioactive water from a damaged nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean has sparked a flurry of reactions
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is in Fukushima as the government prepares to decide this week when to dump radioactive water from the damaged nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, following approval last month from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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Japan’s decision has sparked outrage and a flurry of backlash, both from local bodies in Japan and South Korea and from international organizations.
Kishida said he would meet with fishermen as early as Monday in an effort to secure their consent to the government’s plan.
“I would like to speak directly to the fishermen about the government’s intentions,” Kishida told reporters today after visiting the factory in Fukushima, which was inundated by a tsunami in 2011.
He said his government would make every effort to ensure the safety of water dumping and address the impact on the region’s reputation.
Securing the tacit consent of organizations representing fishermen is seen as the latest hurdle in a plan to dump treated but still radioactive water into the sea, which the government says it wants to start this summer.
The plan to dump 1.3 million tonnes of water from the damaged plant, as Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), which runs it, says there is no longer room to store it at the facility, has been opposed by local fishermen’s associations, has sparked concern among shopkeepers in South Korea and food import bans from Fukushima.
Tepco filters the contaminated water to remove radioactive isotopes, leaving only tritium which is difficult to remove. The company will dilute the water so that tritium falls below regulatory limits before discharging it into the ocean from a construction site on the coast.
Japan’s nuclear regulator approved the plan after receiving approval last month from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which had carried out a two-year review.
Kishida’s government will decide as early as Tuesday when to start dumping the water, possibly later this month, Japanese media reported. The prime minister declined to say when it would begin.
“The whole government will make the final decision after reviewing the status of efforts to ensure security and address the reputational damage” of the area, he said.
Source :Skai
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