Japanese media: Japan's earliest discharge of nuclear wastewater by the end of August | earliest end of August | Japan | Japanese media

On the 6th, Asahi Shimbun quoted several Japanese government sources as saying that the Japanese government plans to officially decide on the date for the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea after the US, Japan, and South Korea summit on August 18th, with the earliest possible start at the end of August.

In recent days, the international community has been constantly questioning and opposing Japan's discharge into the sea. Research experts have pointed out that the outside world has seen some insufficient radiation and ecological impact assessments, and is very concerned that once Japan initiates emissions, it will no longer be able to "put monsters back in the bottle.".

About to be discharged

Asahi Shimbun reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to visit the United States on August 18th to attend the US, Japan, and South Korea summit. During this time, he will have separate meetings with US President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol.

Kishida plans to explain the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan to the two during the meeting, and hold a meeting of relevant cabinet members after returning to Japan to officially determine the discharge date.

Officials at the official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister have revealed that it will take at least about a week from the date of the discharge to the official start of the discharge.

Sources have analyzed that the Japanese government has repeatedly emphasized that it will start its sea discharge plan in the summer of 2023. At the same time, Fukushima Prefecture will lift the ban on underwater trawl fishing in September, and the Japanese government is trying to avoid delaying the sea discharge until September. Based on this inference, it is highly likely that the sea discharge plan will officially start at the end of August.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyoshi Matsuno said at a press conference on Monday that the government has not yet decided on a specific emission date and will make a decision once measures to ensure safety and limit reputation damage are in place.

Controversial

The Guardian reported that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has a total of 1.3 million tons of contaminated water, which has been filtered through Tokyo Electric Power Company's multi nuclide removal system. These waters are sufficient to fill 500 Olympic sized swimming pools, and it is expected to take 30-40 years to complete the sea discharge operation.

The Guardian reported that Japan has been controversial since announcing its plan to discharge pollutants into the sea two years ago. The British Broadcasting Corporation stated that UN experts and environmentalists are opposed to the plan. Critics believe that Japan should seal the treated nuclear wastewater in water tanks to buy time for the development of new treatment technologies and promote the natural reduction of remaining radioactive materials.

Professor and marine biologist Robert Richmond from the University of Hawaii said, "We have seen insufficient radiation and ecological impact assessments, which is very concerning: Japan not only cannot detect what infiltrates marine sediments and organisms, but even if detected, it cannot be removed... there is no way to put monsters back into bottles."

Mudahayu Markmoor, a marine radioecologist at the Nuclear Energy Agency under the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, said that the contaminated water in Fukushima contains radioactive material tritium. With the release of a large amount of contaminated water, there are concerns about whether the content of tritium in seawater will significantly increase and whether it will have an impact on ecology. If the tritium content in seawater and marine organisms continues to increase, the entire Pacific coast will be affected.

Professor Kenichi Oshima from Longya University in Japan stated that radioactive substances are different from ordinary hazardous chemicals and are difficult to remove through chemical treatment; At the same time, little is known about the long-term effects of radioactive substances on marine ecosystems. Therefore, radioactive materials need to be processed as much as possible in a controlled state and should not be released into the environment, which is the most important.

The environmental economics expert also said that ALPS has been unable to work effectively for a period of time. TEPCO has admitted that over 70% of the nuclear contaminated water treated by ALPS does not meet discharge standards and needs to be re filtered.

second hit

The Guardian reported that in early July of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency released an evaluation report confirming that Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea met international safety standards. However, this did not eliminate concerns from Japan's fishing community and other countries in the Asia Pacific region, and opposition continued.

In Japan, civic groups held a protest rally on July 31st in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, opposing plans to discharge pollutants into the sea. Haruhiko Terazawa, the head of the Miyagi Prefectural Fisheries Association in Japan, believes that this will inevitably have a negative impact on Japan's fishing industry.

Fukushima Prefecture fisheries practitioner Takayuki Yanagi said that more than a decade ago, he had already suffered a heavy blow from earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear power plant leaks, and could no longer afford the secondary impact of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea.

In South Korea, the government of Yoon Seok yeol is keen to improve relations with Japan, so it has lowered its concerns and expressed "respect" for the evaluation results of the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, this approach has sparked criticism from opposition parties and angered the South Korean public. A recent poll showed that 80% of South Korean respondents are concerned about nuclear wastewater discharge.

South Korean fisherman Park Hee jun told BBC, "The South Korean government implements strict policies prohibiting littering at sea, but the government does not mention the nuclear wastewater discharged into the ocean. Some officials say that if we don't want consumers to be more anxious, we should remain silent. I think this is nonsense."

From May to early July, South Korean civic groups have held four large-scale rallies to express strong opposition to Japan's plan and demand action from the Yoon Seok yeol government. In response, South Korea recently passed a resolution opposing the discharge of pollutants into the sea, but it is unclear what impact it will have on Japan's decision. South Korean officials are also conducting intensive inspections of seafood and maintaining the existing ban on importing Japanese seafood from the surrounding areas of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The BBC stated that in other parts of the Asia Pacific region, countries such as Malaysia and Fiji have also expressed concerns, calling Japan's plan another "major nuclear pollution disaster".

China's attitude towards Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge into the sea is also very clear. As early as 2021, when Japan announced its decision, China condemned the plan as "extremely irresponsible.". The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated last month that the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency did not fully reflect the opinions of experts participating in the evaluation work, and could not prove the legitimacy, legality, and safety of Japan's sea discharge plan. It could not become a "talisman" and "passport" for Japan's sea discharge.

Indian WION News Network noticed that Chinese and Japanese officials clashed at the International Nuclear Non Proliferation Conference held in Vienna last week. In addition, Chinese customs banned the import of food from ten counties including Fukushima in Japan last month to protect the safety of Chinese consumers.

The Guardian believes that with Japan possibly starting to discharge pollutants as early as the end of August, there may be a more intense showdown between Japan and critics.