The opposition continues to be heard, and Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge equipment is being tested for nuclear wastewater | Fukushima | Japan

TBS TV in Japan reported that Tokyo Electric Power Company conducted a trial operation of the Fukushima nuclear sewage discharge facility at 8:40 am local time on the 12th. The 2-week trial operation will test whether a fixed amount of water can be discharged into the sea and confirm whether the discharge operation can be suspended in emergency situations. The trial operation means that the discharge of nuclear wastewater has entered the countdown, attracting widespread attention from the international community.

Preparation for sea discharge entering the final stage

The Japanese government officially decided on April 13, 2021 to filter and dilute millions of tons of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant before discharging it into the sea. Despite strong opposition from Japanese fishing groups and some local officials, as well as strong opposition and questioning from neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, the Japanese government still ignores the opposition.

In January 2023, the Japanese government set the discharge time for Fukushima nuclear contaminated water as "this spring and summer". According to TEPCO, the preparation for sea discharge has entered the final stage.

Last week, TEPCO announced that the operation of injecting seawater into the underwater tunnel used for discharging nuclear contaminated water has ended, with a volume of approximately 6000 tons. At the same time, the onshore discharge facilities for the nuclear contaminated water discharge project have also been completed and are awaiting trial operation on the 12th.

According to Japanese media reports, the discharge mechanism of underwater tunnels is to transport diluted nuclear contaminated water discharged from land through tunnels filled with seawater to offshore drainage outlets. According to TEPCO, the trial operation period of onshore discharge facilities will last for about 2 weeks, during which fresh water without radioactive substances will be mixed with seawater. The trial operation will confirm the performance of the conveying pump and other facilities, as well as whether the cut-off device can start normally in emergency situations.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has recently conducted on-site inspections in Fukushima and will release its final report later this month. It is expected that the Japanese government may wait for the release of the report before forcibly discharging nuclear wastewater into the sea, possibly starting the discharge plan as early as early July.

Radiation will spread globally in 10 years

TEPCO's plan is to dilute nuclear wastewater with a large amount of seawater, so that the activity of tritium, a radioactive substance that cannot be removed, is lower than one fortieth of the national standard, and then discharge it into the sea about 1 kilometer away through an underwater tunnel.

Although the Japanese government has repeatedly whitewashed Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, claiming that the water quality is harmless and the discharge is reasonable, the Japanese side has not provided sufficient scientific and factual basis to address international concerns about the reliability of nuclear contaminated water data and environmental impact uncertainty. On the contrary, there are many data indicating the potential harm of "discharging into the sea".

According to a recent report released by TEPCO, the radioactive elements in the fish caught in the harbor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in May this year exceeded the standard, with cesium content reaching 18000 becquerels per kilogram, exceeding 180 times the standard set by Japan's food hygiene laws.

Data shows that Fukushima nuclear contaminated water contains over 60 radioactive nuclides, many of which have not been effectively treated. Some long-lived nuclides may diffuse with ocean currents and form a biological enrichment effect. The discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea has cross-border impacts, and based on existing information, it is expected that the discharge will last for up to 30 years. From the date of discharge into the sea, relevant radioactive substances can spread to most of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days, and then spread to global waters 10 years later.

"When tritium enters the human body, it is at least as dangerous as any other radioactive nuclide. In some cases, when it comes to the effects of radiation on genetic material and proteins, its danger is more than twice," said Timothy Musso, a professor of biological sciences at the University of South Carolina.

In addition, Japan's view of discharging into the sea as the only option for disposing of nuclear contaminated water has also raised strong doubts. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has proposed five plans, and experts from neighboring countries have also proposed relevant plans. But the Japanese side unilaterally decided to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the ocean without fully demonstrating other disposal options beyond sea discharge.

Japanese experts in the field of atomic energy acknowledge that for Japan, emissions into the sea are the most cost-effective and pose the least pollution risk to itself. However, this will transfer the risk of contamination from the Fukushima nuclear accident to neighboring countries and the surrounding areas, causing secondary harm to the world and all humanity.

A cross-border and intergenerational event

The irresponsible actions of the Japanese government have sparked global opposition.

China accuses Japan of treating the Pacific Ocean as a "sewer" for its own selfish interests and harming the common interests of all mankind, which will further undermine Japan's trust in the international community.

The recent signature campaign against nuclear wastewater discharge into the sea led by the South Korean Democratic Party has attracted over 100000 participants, who claimed that "nuclear wastewater discharge into the sea is an act of nuclear terrorism.". South Korean citizen groups also gave the "Fukushima nuclear contaminated water dispenser" to the Japanese Embassy in South Korea, but it was rejected by the Japanese Embassy.

The head of the Pacific Island Forum said that Japan's adoption of such a simple and crude plan is likely to open the Pandora's Box, leading to widespread ocean dumping behavior, and the concerns and livelihoods of coastal small island communities will be ignored.

American scientists are also beginning to worry that marine life and ocean currents may carry radioactive isotopes across the entire Pacific Ocean. "This is a cross-border and intergenerational event," said Robert Richmond, director of the Kevalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii. The National Oceanic Laboratory Association, headquartered in the United States, issued a statement opposing the nuclear wastewater discharge plan in December last year. The statement states that emissions may threaten "the largest continuous water body on Earth - the Pacific, which includes 70% of the world's fisheries."

Even within Japan, there are voices opposing the idea of "discharging pollutants into the sea". At the end of April, a Japanese media poll showed that over half of the Japanese respondents stated that the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea had not gained the understanding of the Japanese people.

On the 10th, Japanese Minister of Economy and Industry, Yasumi Nishimura, visited Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki prefectures, hoping to seek understanding from local fishing groups on the issue of "discharge into the sea". But fishermen have once again expressed opposition. "Both sides have their own opinions. The stance against emissions remains unchanged," emphasized Tetsuya Nozaki, President of the Fukushima Fisheries Association Federation

According to Masashi Goto, an expert from the Japan Atomic Power Citizen Council, the impact of discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea is irreversible. "Although many people may mistakenly believe that the concentration of radioactive pollutants is important, the absolute amount of emissions is actually more important. Therefore, emphasizing only that the concentration of radioactive substances diluted with nuclear contaminated water will decrease without considering the absolute amount is very dangerous."