Japan plans to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea for 30 years, but amidst doubts, it has announced plans from the government to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea from August 24th

On August 22nd local time, the Japanese government announced after a meeting of relevant officials that it will discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean starting from the 24th.

Call for "accountability to the end"

According to the website of Tokyo Electric Power Company, as of August 3rd, more than 1.34 million cubic meters of contaminated water were stored in over 1000 water storage tanks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and approximately 100 tons of contaminated water were added daily to cool the molten nuclear fuel. According to Tokyo Electric Power Company's plan, the treated and diluted nuclear contaminated water will be discharged into the sea through a 1 kilometer long underwater tunnel, with a discharge time of up to 30 years.

Before being discharged into the sea, nuclear contaminated water will be purified. TEPCO claims that through multi nuclide treatment equipment, 62 radioactive substances in the water, except for tritium, can be purified to meet Japan's national environmental discharge standards. Just as the discharge was approaching, Tokyo Electric Power Company announced on August 10th that it had discovered an issue with ALPS in June of this year, as about 2 tons of treated nuclear contaminated water leaked due to a ruptured water supply hose. The leak occurred inside an anti leakage shell of the water storage tank and did not flow to the outside, but higher than normal concentrations of radioactive substances were detected in the rainwater surrounding the water storage tank.

The operational performance of ALPS has always been questioned by the outside world. According to information obtained by the South Korean government during its inspection mission to Fukushima in May, ALPS experienced a total of 8 malfunctions from 2013 to last year, involving pre-treatment equipment filters, exhaust filters, etc.

Although the International Atomic Energy Agency released a review report in July, stating that the discharge into the sea meets international safety standards. However, the long-term effectiveness and reliability of the nuclear contaminated water purification device, as well as the true accuracy of the data, still need further confirmation from the Japanese side. According to the Japan Broadcasting Association, Fukushima Prefectural Governor Yasuo UchiHori has called on the government to "take responsibility to the end" and hopes that the government will continue to cooperate with international organizations on the basis of building trust with the National Federation of Fisheries Associations to ensure transparency in discharge work.

"What I most want is peace of mind"

In the past month, Japanese government officials have visited Fukushima intensively, from cabinet ministers to prime ministers, and have had exchanges with fishermen to seek understanding, but the views of both sides have always been on two parallel lines.

On August 20th, Fumio Kishida inspected the nuclear contaminated water discharge equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. At a press conference afterwards, he was asked whether the government had gained the understanding of relevant stakeholders, including fishermen. He evaded a clear response and said, "We have received concerns and requirements from fishermen about the risk assessment and their livelihoods, and we will continue to pay attention to and solve these issues." The next day, when Kishida met with several representatives of fishermen, he said, "We attach great importance to the fishermen's desire to continue fishing as before, and the government promises to take full responsibility for the discharge work, which will take decades.". However, Yasuhisa Sakamoto, President of the National Fisheries Association of Japan, stated on the spot that he firmly opposes it. "Our only wish is for our descendants to continue fishing, and we hope the government can respond well."

Fukushima Shinji cho fisherman Haruhiro Ono, who is in his seventies and his son make a living by fishing, told Japanese media that the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea has become a fact and has not received any explanation. "What we want most is peace of mind. The Prime Minister should come and make a request to us," he said

The Japanese government has actually destroyed the trust foundation with domestic fisheries. Eight years ago, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Tokyo Electric Power provided a written response to the Fukushima Fisheries Association Federation, promising not to dispose of treated nuclear contaminated water without the understanding of relevant parties. "After all, I was still deceived," sighed Takehiko Shinuma, a 62 year old fisherman from Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture.

As for the general public in Japan, their views on the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea vary. Fuji News Network and All Nippon News Network conducted surveys from August 19th to 20th, and the results of the two surveys were similar. More than half of the respondents supported the sea discharge plan, while the proportion of opponents ranged from 30% to 40%. However, in terms of the impact of sea discharge and government responsibilities, public opinion tends to be more negative. According to a Kyodo News poll on the 20th, 88.1% of respondents are concerned that the sea discharge plan may harm Japan's image and potential economic interests, and 81.9% of respondents believe that the Japanese government's explanation is insufficient.

On the 21st, 20-year-old Tokyo resident Sato told The Paper that the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea has been discussed for many years, so the Japanese people have more or less received relevant information and gradually accepted this fact. The opposition now mainly focuses on the fishing industry, which is closely related to their livelihood. Fishermen are more concerned about the reputation of seafood, while ordinary people are concerned about scientific safety, with different starting points.

Nakamura, who lives in the northeastern region of Japan, told Paper that building trust is important as there have been concerns over the excessive levels of radioactive material in fish caught near Fukushima Prefecture. When asked if she would purchase seafood from the waters near Fukushima Prefecture after the sea discharge is activated, she said, "I want to observe for a period of time to see if there will be any unexpected situations."