2 Years After Approval, Japan To Release Water From Wrecked Fukushima Nuclear Plant Into Ocean From Aug 24

Japan will begin releasing water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific ocean from August 24, two years after the plan was approved by the Japanese government.

Japan to release water from destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant from Augsut 24. ( Image Source :Getty Images )

Japan on Tuesday confirmed that it will begin releasing more than 1 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Thursday, August 24, reported Reuters. The development comes two years after the plan for the same was approved by the Japanese government to decommission the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) <9501.T>. However, the action drew sharp criticism from China as well as local fishing groups, who fear reputational damage and a threat to their livelihood, Reuters added. 

"I have asked Tepco to swiftly prepare for the water discharge in accordance with the plan approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, and expect the water release to start on August 24, weather conditions permitting," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, as quoted by Reuters. 

Japan has maintained that the water release is safe, adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, okayed the plan in July. Japan added, as per Reuters, that the agencies said the water met international standards and that the impact it would have on people and the environment was "negligible". 

However, some neighbouring countries have raised doubts over the safety of the plan, with Beijing emerging as the biggest critic. China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in July said that Japan had shown selfishness and arrogance, adding that it had not fully consulted the international community about the water release. 

China has meanwhile, banned seafood imports from 10 prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima and the capital, Tokyo. It has allowed seafood imports from other prefectures on condition that they pass the radioactivity tests and proof that they were produced outside the 10 banned prefectures, the report further said. 

Not only China, but even South Korean activists also protested the plan. However, Reuters stated that Seoul has concluded from its own study that the water release meets international standards and said it respects the IAEA's assessment. 

Japan has said that the water will be filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, adding that the treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific Ocean, Reuters added. 

Notably, Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. 

The water that will be released was used to cool the fuel rods of Fukushima Daiichi after it melted down in an accident due to the massive tsunami in 2011 that ravaged Japan's eastern coast.