Japan Set to Pour Fukushima Water Into Pacific, Irking China
- IAEA to give decision on proposal to discharge Fukushima waste
- Ocean isn’t “Japan’s private sewer”: China’s foreign ministry
By Shoko Oda and Isabel Reynolds, July 3, 2023 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-02/japan-is-set-to-pour-fukushima-wastewater-into-pacific
Japan is set to win approval to discharge more than a million cubic meters of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the Pacific Ocean, a contentious plan that’s soured ties with neighbors including China.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director General Rafael Grossi will visit Japan from Tuesday to deliver a final report on the safety of the process and meet with officials including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. A domestic nuclear regulator is also set to issue a crucial assessment.
Both studies are poised to give backing to Tokyo Electric Power Co. to begin releasing the water — equivalent in volume to about 500 Olympic-size swimming pools — into the sea, a step that’s needed to allow full decommissioning of the Fukushima site following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the world’s worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl.
Japan has assured other nations that the release of the water is safe, is in line with standard industry practice and that it’s necessary, because about 1,000 storage tanks at Fukushima will hit capacity early in 2024. Other countries with nuclear plants already safely discharge similar diluted waste offshore, according to the IAEA.
It also comes as Japan joins a wider global reappraisal of nuclear power, with several nations seeking to boost energy self-sufficiency by reviving idled reactors, adding plants or investing in new technology. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is aiming to build on improving domestic support for the energy source, and Japan’s efforts to complete the closure of the Fukushima site are seen as a crucial in inspiring confidence.
Despite Japan’s diplomatic push, the discharge plan is complicating some global relationships.
The ocean is “not Japan’s private sewer,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last month, warning the proposed release carries risks for the country’s neighbors and Pacific Island nations. Wang called it a selfish move “that puts the common interests of all humanity in jeopardy.”
Japanese cosmetics brands have been targeted by a viral campaign tied to the issue that spread unproven safety allegations on Chinese social media platforms. In South Korea, demand for sea salt has rocketed as consumers stockpile the condiment amid worries the release of wastewater could taint future supplies.
While the central government in Seoul hasn’t pushed back against Japan’s plans publicly, a survey by the Yomiuri newspaper and South Korea’s Hankook Ilbo conducted in May found 84% of respondents opposed the discharge. A separate poll found almost three-quarters of South Koreans surveyed didn’t trust a delegation of experts sent from Seoul to review Japan’s preparations.
The Pacific Islands Forum, a group of 18 nations including Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Australia, has urged Japan to consider alternatives and called for additional discussions on the risks.
“People’s fears and uncertainties in the region are real, however safely the release will be handled, and however minimal the risk is,” said Nancy Snow, a reputation security consultant in Tokyo and author of a book on Japan’s public diplomacy. “Their concerns cannot be taken lightly or dismissed.”
Japan announced in 2021 it planned a gradual release of about 1.3 million cubic meters of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant that has accumulated at the site since 2011. Tepco cycles in water to keep debris and fuel at the wrecked nuclear reactors cool, and the contaminated liquid — along with other groundwater and rain — is processed to remove most radioactive elements. The treated water, which still contains tritium, has been collected and stored.
Tepco expects the fleet of about 1,000 storage tanks to reach maximum capacity between February and June next year and the utility has argued it cannot continue to clear space for additional vessels because that’s needed for other parts of the decommissioning process. Storing the water also carries risks of leaks, which are amplified by the nation’s status as one of the most earthquake-prone countries.
In one of its preliminary reports in April, the IAEA said Tepco had taken into account issues raised in previous safety reviews and had “made significant progress to update its plans,” signaling the agency is likely to grant final approval. Grossi will visit Fukushima during his trip to Japan and open an IAEA office at the site, the agency said Friday.
Tepco plans to mix the treated fluid with seawater to dilute the concentration of tritium to “well below” both Japanese government and World Health Organization guidelines, before discharging it into the ocean over the course of as long as 40 years through an undersea tunnel. Tritium has a radioactive half-life of a little over 12 years, according to the IAEA.
Japan’s government has not yet set any specific date to begin releasing the water, and has said it will continue to hold talks with local communities, including the fishing sector, to try to alleviate their concerns.
Releasing water from nuclear power plants is a standard practice and most operations globally release small amounts of tritium and other radioactive material into rivers and oceans, the IAEA said previously.
— With assistance by Ben Westcott
Charming optimism, as a Japanese non-profit group plans for bunkers for the community to be OK in a nuclear war.
2 NPO pushes nuclear bunkers in Japan amid growing security threats
TSUKUBA
Amid growing security concerns over Russia’s nuclear threat and North Korea’s missile ambitions, a nonprofit organization in Japan has built a model nuclear shelter near Tokyo to raise awareness and encourage people to consider digging a doomsday bunker of their own.
While not yet open to the public, the underground concrete structure opened on May 10 in a parking lot opposite the Japan Nuclear Shelter Association’s office in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. It has already hosted about 40 tours by construction professionals, national and local politicians, government agencies and the media.
The association says it aims to see shelters built in Japan to established standards. Interest in its activities has exploded last year, it said, with its membership rising from just two companies to around 30 in over a year.
“We were thinking about building this even before the (Russian) invasion of Ukraine, but decided we really had to from spring last year,” said director Takahiro Kawashima.
The facility is built to specifications from Switzerland, where 1960s legislation at the height of the Cold War required shelters be made available to all citizens.
The structure can withstand a blast like the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, provided it is just under a kilometer or more from the explosion’s center, according to the association.
It says the underground shelter can house a family of four adults, three children and one pet for a maximum of two weeks. While the entire space is about 48 square meters, its living area is around 25.6 square meters……………………………….
it remains unclear how much a system like the one the association is showcasing would cost if it became a national standard.
Construction of the model shelter came in at a total of around 40 million yen ($277,000) to build and outfit but the organization maintains that a more standard price would be around 20 to 30 million yen per unit, not inclusive of the land on which it is constructed…… https://japantoday.com/category/national/npo-pushes-nuke-bunkers-in-japan-amid-growing-security-threats
Japan’s nuclear regulator finishes inspection of Fukushima radioactive wastewater release system
Japan’s nuclear regulator has finished inspecting a newly completed system to release radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, local media reported.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) checked for leaks and other abnormalities on Friday by passing water through the system and inspected the emergency shut-off valves to make sure they function properly, public broadcaster NHK reported.
NRA officials have reported no particular problem with the facility’s overall performance. The nuclear regulatory body is due to draw up a report on the results in about a week, it said.
If the NRA issues a certificate to the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the system will be ready to operate, it added.
The NRA wrapped up three days of final on-site inspections on Friday. TEPCO completed the construction of the wastewater discharge system on Monday.
Despite continuous opposition from its neighbors and the Pacific Island Countries, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific.
What is the new ‘returning zone’ to be created in disaster-hit Fukushima?
June 24, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)
The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about the new residence zones that will be created in parts of Fukushima Prefecture that have become uninhabitable as a result of the 2011 nuclear power plant accident.
Question: I heard that people who were unable to return to their hometowns due to the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster will be able to do so. Is it true?
Answer: Due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, parts of seven municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture have been designated as so-called “difficult-to-return zones” where residence is restricted due to high radiation levels. Within these zones, new “specified returning residence zones” will be established to allow those who wish to return to do so.
Q: How will this work?
A: This system is based on the revised Act on Special Measures for the Reconstruction and Revitalization of Fukushima enacted by the Diet on June 2. The new returning residence zones are set to includes homes, roads and meeting places deemed necessary for the daily lives of those who wish to return to the “difficult-to-return” zones. Decontamination will be carried out to reduce radiation levels in these areas, and then the evacuation order over the areas will be lifted………………………………………..
When the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, there were about 16,000 people living in the areas. However, only about 200 people reside there now — an apparent result of many past residents already having shifted their base of livelihood to other locations due to their prolonged displacement.
Q: How far will the scope of the new returning residence zones extend?
A: Reconstruction bases were set up in clusters of private homes and around train stations, but in the case of the new returning residence zones, the setting is likely to be limited to areas around the homes of those who wish to return. Since it remains difficult to live in an area when an evacuation order has only partially been lifted, there is strong demand for unconditional decontamination throughout the entire area.
(Japanese original by Shuji Ozaki, Minamisoma Local Bureau) https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230623/p2a/00m/0op/028000c
Japan urged to face up to legitimate international concerns on dumping nuclear-contaminated water into ocean
By Global Times Jun 23, 2023
Japan was urged to face up to the legitimate concerns of the international community on dumping nuclear-contaminated water into ocean at the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday. Japan’s moves are passing on the risk of nuclear pollution to all mankind that are seriously endangering the right to health of people of all countries, the Chinese representative to the council said.
The Chinese representative said that Japan’s dumping of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea violated its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Japan has so far failed to prove that the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is safe and sound. The data released by Japan itself also shows that nearly 70 percent of the treated nuclear-contaminated water still fail to meet the standards.
The dumping plan is not the only way to deal with the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, nor is it the safest and most optimal means of disposal. However, the Japanese side chose to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean based on economic cost, and in doing so is passing on the risk of nuclear pollution to all mankind, and is seriously endangering the right to health of people of all countries.
The Chinese representative pointed out that Japan has not followed the principle of consultation on the dumping plan of nuclear-contaminated water, and has repeatedly tried to mislead the international community, trying to cover up the uncertain risks of nuclear-contaminated water dumped into the sea under the disguise of “treated water.”………………………………….
This is not a matter for Japan alone. The Japanese side must face up to the strong opposition voices at home and abroad and the reasonable concerns of the international community, honestly fulfill its international obligations, and dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in an open, transparent, and safest way, so as not to cause irreversible consequence, the representative noted. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202306/1293022.shtml
Chinese Boycott Over Fukushima Nuclear Plant Water Release Sinks Japanese Cosmetics
A consumer boycott in China over a planned release of water from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant is threatening to hurt Japanese cosmetics makers.
The viral campaign began earlier this month when largely unproven allegations that water discharges from the plant are hazardous to ……………………………..(subscribers only) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-23/china-boycott-over-fukushima-nuclear-plant-water-release-sinks-japan-cosmetics#xj4y7vzkg
Is Fukushima wastewater release safe? What the science says
Radiation in the water will be diluted to almost-background levels, but some researchers are not sure this will be sufficient to mitigate the risks.
Bianca Nogrady Nature, 22 June 23
Despite concerns from several nations and international groups, Japan is pressing ahead with plans to release water contaminated by the 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Starting sometime this year and continuing for the next 30 years, Japan will slowly release treated water stored in tanks at the site into the ocean through a pipeline extending one kilometre from the coast. But just how safe is the water to the marine environment and humans across the Pacific region?
How is the water contaminated?
The power station exploded after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami crippled the coastal plant, overheating the reactor cores. Since then, more than 1.3 million cubic metres of seawater have been sprayed onto the damaged cores to keep them from overheating, contaminating the water with 64 radioactive elements, known as radionuclides. Of greatest concern are those that could pose a threat to human health: carbon-14, iodine-131, caesium-137, strontium-90, cobalt-60 and hydrogen-3, also known as tritium.
Some of these radionuclides have a relatively short half-life and would already have decayed in the 12 years since the disaster. But others take longer to decay; carbon-14, for example, has a half-life of more than 5,000 years.
How are they treating the water?
The contaminated water has been collected, treated to reduce the radioactive content and stored in more than 1,000 stainless steel tanks at the site. …………………………
Will radioactivity concentrate in fish?
Nations such as South Korea have expressed concern that the treated water could have unexplored impacts on the ocean environment, and a delegation from the country visited the Fukushima site in May. Last year, the US National Association of Marine Laboratories in Herndon, Virginia, also voiced its opposition to the planned release, saying that there was “a lack of adequate and accurate scientific data supporting Japan’s assertion of safety”. The Philippine government has also called for Japan to reconsider releasing the water into the Pacific.
“Have the people promoting this going forward — ALPS treatment of the water and then release into the ocean — demonstrated to our satisfaction that it will be safe for ocean health and human health?” asks Robert Richmond, marine biologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “The answer is ‘no’.”
Richmond is one of five scientists on a panel advising the Pacific Islands Forum, an intergovernmental organization made up of 18 Pacific nations including Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia. The panel was convened to advise on whether the release of the treated water from Fukushima was safe both for the ocean and for those who depend on it. Richmond says they have reviewed all the data provided by TEPCO and the Japanese government, and visited the Fukushima site, but there are still some unanswered questions about tritium and carbon-14………………………………….
TEPCO says fishing is not routinely conducted in an area within 3 kilometres of where the pipeline will discharge the water. But Richmond is concerned the tritium could concentrate in the food web as larger organisms eat smaller contaminated ones. “The concept of dilution as the solution to pollution has demonstrably been shown to be false,” Richmond says. “The very chemistry of dilution is undercut by the biology of the ocean.”
Shigeyoshi Otosaka, an oceanographer and marine chemist at the Atmospheric and Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo says that the organically bound form of tritium could accumulate in fish and marine organisms. He says international research is investigating the potential for such bioaccumulation of the radionuclides in marine life, and what has already happened in the waters around Fukushima after the accidental release of contaminated water during the tsunami. “I think it is important to evaluate the long-term environmental impact of these radionuclides,” Otosaka says………………………………. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-
The Fukushima Wastewater ‘Discharge’: What’s in a Name? – technostrategic language.
Japan is very carefully shaping the narrative around its release of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
The Diplomat By Maxime Polleri, June 12, 2023
Japan is planning to soon release a million tons of radioactive water from the Fukushima power plant. Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, water used to cool the crippled power plant has become contaminated, while being kept in huge storage tanks. Advanced techniques of water treatment have removed many of the radioactive substances from this stored water, but one pollutant, radioactive tritium, remains especially tricky to get rid of. Since tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen – a key component of water – it cannot be removed by purification and remains in the treated water.
Currently, tritium-contaminated water is filling Japan’s tanks to the brink and the government has no choice but to release this water in the sea. This decision is fueling numerous controversies surrounding the potential danger of releasing nuclear wastewater in the ocean. It is notably facing stark opposition from Japan’s fishing industry, which has been scrambling to recover ever since the 2011 nuclear meltdowns.
As a social anthropologist working on this disaster, I am less concerned about the scientific debates over the safety vs. danger, and more interested in another type of battle that surrounds this decision: a linguistic one. For instance, when fishermen discuss their concerns, they at times use a specific narrative that accuses the authorities of treating the sea as a garbage dump. On the other hand, state authorities and nuclear organizations like The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), rarely talk about “dumping” wastewater in the sea. Instead, they use words like “release,” “disposal,” or even “dilution.” Words like “garbage,” “pollutants,” “contaminants,” or “waste” are also utterly absent from these expert organizations’ vocabulary. In talking about tritium-contaminated water, for example, IAEA prefers resorting to highly technical terms like Advanced Liquid Processing System-treated water.
These words are not random choices. They reflect highly peculiar ways of governing environmental risks in the aftermath of nuclear disasters. In particular, they echo what scholar Carol Cohn famously called “technostrategic language,” that is, terminologies that disregard particular realities in the face of risks, while preventing the expression of specific values. Cohn first talked about technostrategic languages in the context of nuclear defense intellectuals, arguing that their specific language allowed a rejection of the idea that they too could become victims of the wrath of nuclear weapons.
Similarly, words like “discharge,” “dilution,” or “treated water” are part of governance techniques that have powerful symbolic functions. This language imbues post-disaster narratives with specific values, while shutting out alternatives. Let us examine some of the consequences of this technostrategic language.
First, technical words provide an aura of expertise, legitimacy, and control toward the things that cannot be governed, such as the slow accumulation of tons of contaminated water………………………..
Second, much like the phenomenon of radioactive decay – a process where unstable atomic elements gradually transform themselves into wholly different elements – bringing discussions of contamination into the technical sphere literally transmutes the narrative of “waste dumping” into what appears to be a sound policy of “treated-water management.”………………….
Third, the use of scientific jargon also creates powerful hierarchical divisions between people and experts. For instance, Japanese fishermen are worried that the release of radioactive water will affect their livelihood. Yet they can rarely compete against the technical lingo of reified expertise. https://thediplomat.com/2023/06/the-fukushima-wastewater-discharge-whats-in-a-name/
Fukushima waste-water plan a nuclear threat to Asia-Pacific
By Shaun Burnie | chinadaily.com.cn 2023-06-13 https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202306/13/WS6487d3e0a31033ad3f7bbf92.html
Japan has decided to start discharging radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean very soon. The operator of the wrecked plant began tests on Monday of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea. Many myths and untruths have been spread about the nuclear-contaminated water. For example, the Japanese government has said, that according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the global nuclear industry and some scientists, there is nothing to worry about the effects of the radioactive wastewater.
The Japanese government also claims that nearly all the radioactive materials will be removed from the wastewater using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) with only tritium remaining before it is released into the Pacific. It is constantly stated that tritium cannot be removed from the wastewater, but would emit very weak radiation and therefore it will have no impact on either the marine environment or human health in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
False claims to mislead the Japanese public
As for Tokyo Electric Power Company, the owner of the Fukushima nuclear plant, it claims discharging the wastewater is necessary due to insufficient space for more storage tanks and for it to be able to fully decommissioning the Fukushima plant between 2041 and 2051. TEPCO also says the discharges will meet regulatory standards and will be lawful.
In the real world, it is a lot worse and a lot more complicated than what TEPCO, the Japanese government and the IAEA claims. The ALPS has been a spectacular failure, with major doubts about its effectiveness. In addition to tritium, all the radioactive carbon (C-14) in the wastewater will be released into the ocean along with many other radionuclides (plutonium isotopes, iodine-129, strontium-90). But despite the Japanese government and TEPCO “planning” to keep them below the regulatory limit, they will still be significant.
There is no safety threshold for artificial radioactivity in the environment, and technology does exist to process tritium from the tanks’ water. However, TEPCO and the Japanese government do not want to spend huge amounts of money needed to do so. Tritium is indeed a low energy radioactive material but that does not mean its effect is weak; if ingested, it has the potential to damage plants, animals and humans.
Recent research published by a leading radiation biologist shows scientific literature of the past 60-plus years is clear — tritium, in particular organically bound tritium (OBT), is biologically harmful to all forms of life. The persistence, bioaccumulation and potential biomagnification and increased toxicity of OBT increases the potential impact on the environment if tritiated water is discharged on land or in the sea.
Tritium more dangerous than previously believed
None of the current regulations in Japan (or worldwide) takes into full account the nature of organic forms of tritium. That organic forms of tritium have been found to bioaccumulate in phytoplankton, the base of the marine food chain, is deeply worrying. The fact that there has been no comprehensive environmental impact assessment of these and many other issues is outrageous, and suggests there is a deliberate underestimation of the accumulation and potential toxic effect of tritium on the environment.
Equally important, the many other radioactive materials in the Fukushima wastewater have the potential to cause damage to the environment and human health. In fact, Japan has sufficient storage capacity, including in the areas around the Fukushima plant. And storing the toxic wastewater, TEPCO cannot fully decommission the reactors at Fukushima in the next 20-30 years — probably not in this century. Rather than being lawful, the release of the wastewater into the sea will violate international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
One reason why the untruths and myths continue to be spread is that there is a lot at stake for the Japanese government and the nuclear industry. Japan’s energy policy is dependent on restarting many nuclear reactors shut down after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. So far, nine have resumed operations — but according to government policy, Japan needs 30-plus reactors by 2030.
Public opinion in Japan has been influenced by the government’s claim that it is safe to operate these nuclear reactors and that it is possible to recover from a three-reactor meltdown without consequences for human health and the environment. Of course, it’s not.
Sweeping real issue under the carpet
TEPCO, the Japanese government or the IAEA refuses to accept that the wastewater crisis points to a deeper nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant. And it is getting worse, because groundwater entering the plant continues to become highly contaminated, while the water in the tanks requiring ALPS processing increases.
In November 2021, based on TEPCO data, there were 1,284,284 cubic meters of contaminated ALPS water in the storage tanks, of which 832,900 cu m needed further ALPS processing. As of April 20, 2023, the total volume of radioactive wastewater stored in the tanks was 1,330,944 cu m — a 3.6 percent increase in less than 2 years.
Worse, about 70 percent or 931,600 cu m of the wastewater needs to be processed again (and probably many times again) by the ALPS to bring the radioactive concentration levels below the regulatory limit for discharge. This is an increase of nearly 12 percent in less than 2 years.
TEPCO has succeeded in reducing the concentration levels of strontium, iodine and plutonium in only 0.2 percent of the total volume of the wastewater, and it still requires further processing. But no secondary processing has taken place in the past nearly three years. Neither TEPCO nor the Japanese government nor the IAEA wants to talk about this. They have not said how many times the wastewater needs to be processed, how long it will take to do so or whether the efforts will ever be successful.
Problems not new but none solved in 5 years
Greenpeace wrote about these problems and why the ALPS failed nearly five years ago; none of those issues has been resolved. Also, there is a high possibility of the ALPS failing in the future.
To proceed with their discharge plan, the Japanese government and TEPCO have been creating a false impression on the public that significant progress has been made in decommissioning the Fukushima plant. But fact is, the source of the problem — the highly radioactive fuel debris in reactor pressure vessels 1, 2 and 3 — continues to contaminate groundwater. Nearly 1000 cu m of water becomes highly contaminated every 10 days. So until the nuclear fuel is isolated from the environment, contaminated groundwater, potentially hundreds of thousands of cubic meters, will continue to accumulate.
While the Fukushima plant, after being destroyed by the earthquake-triggered tsunami in March 2011, released large amounts of radioactive particles into the environment, most of the radioactive inventory remains inside the melted fuel. As such, the damaged Fukushima plant on the edge of ocean is a long-term radioactive threat to the environment, including the marine environment. And this threat will be aggravated once Japan begins dumping the toxic water into the ocean.
TEPCO, the Japanese government and the IAEA refuse to acknowledge the fact that the decommissioning plan for the Fukushima plant is not attainable, and that they must embark on a comprehensive reassessment of the plan.
Crisis compounded by damage to reactor
The nuclear crisis in Fukushima is compounded by the damage to the reactors, in particular unit 1. The rapid meltdown of the nuclear fuel in March 2011 severely damaged the large concrete block the 440-ton reactor pressure vessel sits on. One of the agencies responsible for its decommissioning has recently demanded that TEPCO work out immediate countermeasures to prevent the possible collapse of the reactor. But with very high radiation levels inside the plant, it’s not clear whether any countermeasures are possible.
Building a very large containment structure covering the reactor buildings, like it was done at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine after the nuclear disaster in 1986, is probably the only way to prevent highly radioactive dust entering the lower atmosphere in the event of a future collapse. But such a “solution” is not a currently an option for the Japanese government or the nuclear industry, as it would send the wrong message that the decommissioning process is not going according to plan.
There is no scientific, legal or moral justification for Japan to deliberately contaminate our shared and common marine environment. And concerned citizens, scientists, maritime lawyers, the fishing communities across the Asia-Pacific and the world’s leading oceanography universities and institutes have spread public awareness about the nuclear dangers, something that has rarely been done before.
There is a very strong legal case for challenging Japan’s decision to dump the wastewater into the sea but doing so is a major undertaking. For many reasons, no state or group of states may take up the challenge through UNCLOS this year. But since the environmental threat from the Fukushima plant will only intensify, future legal action should not be ruled out.
At a time when our oceans are under so many multiple threats, including from melting glaciers and related climate emergencies, overfishing and biodiversity loss and plastic pollution — there is no reason why Japan should be allowed to dump the radioactive water into the sea.
Greenpeace has been campaigning for protection for our oceans from radioactive contamination since the 1970s. And the most important thing I have learned in my 30 years with Greenpeace is that positive change is possible even if it does not often happen as early as it should but it can happen and people must never give up their efforts or hope.
The author is a senior nuclear specialist with Greenpeace East Asia and has worked in Japan and wider Asia for over 30 years.
Fukushima nuclear plant begins tests of wastewater release plan; fishing officials remain opposed
The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has begun tests of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into sea, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries
By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press. abc news, June 12, 2023,
TOKYO — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began tests on Monday of newly constructed facilities for discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries.
The tests at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant use fresh water instead of the treated water, operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said……………………………….
The plan has faced fierce protests from local fishing communities concerned about safety and reputational damage. Nearby countries, including South Korea, China and Pacific Island nations, have also raised safety concerns. Japan’s government has set up a fund to promote Fukushima seafood and provide compensation in case sales fall due to safety concerns.
Fishing officials said they remain opposed to the plan when they met Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Saturday when he visited Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures of Ibaraki and Miyagi.
“We stand by our opposition,” Tetsu Nozaki, head of the Fukushima prefectural fisheries association, told Nishimura. Nozaki, however, said the association supports progress in the plant’s decommissioning and hopes to continue the dialogue. “At the moment, our positions remain wide apart.”
………….. In South Korea, fishermen staged a rally in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday against the plan to release treated radioactive water. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/fukushima-nuclear-plant-begins-tests-wastewater-release-plan-100006333
A-bombed artist to distribute ‘war brooms’ in Hiroshima as he calls for nuclear abolition
June 11, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)
SHIKAOI, Hokkaido — A Hiroshima A-bomb survivor ink artist seeking to amplify his nuclear abolition message will hand out miniature brooms signifying the renunciation of war in front of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, coinciding with his art show opening in the city on June 24.
Miki Tsukishita, 82, a resident of the Hokkaido town of Shikaoi, was exposed to radiation from the atomic bombing in Hiroshima when he was 4 years old. He is upset that the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit held in the A-bombed city from May 19 to 21 recognized the deterrence of war through the possession of nuclear weapons.
The joint document, “G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament,” set forth the direction that the G7 would pursue to realize a world without nuclear weapons. At the same time, the document referred to nuclear deterrence. While it also pointed out the importance of nuclear nonproliferation, Tsukishita said emphatically, “What we are seeking is not nuclear nonproliferation, but nuclear abolition.”
After the summit, he wrote a letter of appeal to the participating leaders in his distinctive ink brush strokes, which was full of sarcasm, beginning with “Did the ‘okonomiyaki’ (savory pancakes that are a Hiroshima specialty) suit your palate?” It is lined with harsh phrases such as, “You left us with the continuation of nuclear nonproliferation,” “What was the purpose of your visit to Hiroshima?” “The tender ‘heart of Hiroshima’ has been trampled on by all of you.”
The feelings of the people of Hiroshima cannot be conveyed only by the appeal letter. So, in line with his already scheduled show in Hiroshima, Tsukishita decided to convey the wishes of A-bomb survivors for nuclear abolition by distributing miniature brooms, paper cranes and letters of appeal to foreign visitors to the Hiroshima museum……………………………………………..
The upcoming exhibition, titled “war brooms art exhibition,” will be held at Aster Plaza in the city of Hiroshima from June 24 to 29. In addition to Tsukishita’s ink artwork, pictures such as “The boy standing by the crematory” and a young A-bombed Chinese parasol tree will be on display. Seeds of the tree will also be handed out. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230608/p2a/00m/0na/025000c
(Japanese original by Hitoshi Suzuki, Obihiro Bureau)
Despite scientific evidence and public opposition, Japan to test ocean nuclear wastewater discharge on June 12
CGTN, 11 June 23
Japan plans to start sending seawater in an underwater tunnel built to release nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on June 12, local media reported on Friday citing news from the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
According to TEPCO, the tunnel has been filled with about 6,000 tonnes of seawater this week for a two-week test before releasing the nuclear-contaminated water from the plant to a point about one kilometer offshore.
Japan is likely to officially begin its plan to dump the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean as early as the beginning of July. So far, the implementation of Japan’s plan still needs to await the outcome of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) meeting in late June.
However, the content of Cs-137 (a radioactive element that is a common byproduct in nuclear reactors) in the marine fish caught in the harbor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is 180 times that of the standard maximum stipulated in Japan’s food safety law, according to a statement released by the Chinese embassy in Japan on Monday, referring to data from a report released by TEPCO.
It also pointed out that there are more than 60 radionuclides, including tritium, carbon-14, cobalt-60, strontium-90 and iodine-129, in the nuclear-contaminated water. Some long-lived nuclides may spread with ocean currents and result in a bioconcentration effect, which will increase the total amount of radionuclides in the environment and cause unpredictable hazards to the marine ecosystem and human health.
Earlier, TEPCO admitted that tritium, a mildly radioactive form of hydrogen, cannot be removed from the wastewater, but insisted it is not harmful to human health, which has aroused the opposition of many experts.
“When tritium gets inside the body, it’s at least as dangerous as any of the other radionuclides. And in some cases, it’s more than double as dangerous in terms of the effects of the radiation on the genetic material, on the proteins,” Timothy Mousseau, professor of biological sciences at the University of South Carolina, told a press conference in Seoul.
Japan insists that the purified “treated water” is no different from the normal discharged water from a nuclear power plant. ………………………………..
Regardless of raging opposition from home and abroad, Japan has been rushing to dump the wastewater into the ocean, which has incited protests from local civic groups as well as neighboring nations and communities within the Pacific Islands.
A spontaneous protest was held in front of the headquarters of TEPCO in Tokyo on Wednesday evening. Holding banners and flags with slogans that read “Don’t discharge polluted water into the sea” and “Don’t pollute the ocean for all,” the protesters said that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water in the ocean is a highly irresponsible act.
On the same day, Green Korea United, an environmental group, also staged a protest in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, calling the discharge an “international crime” that will transfer the risk of further pollution to the world through the seas…………………. more https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-06-11/Despite-opposition-Japan-to-test-wastewater-discharge-on-June-12-1kyqtkyBhNC/index.html
Amid opposition, Japan takes 1st step to release nuclear waste water into ocean
China slams Tokyo’s ‘irresponsible’ actions on Fukushima’s contaminated water, urging safe disposal
Alperen Aktas |07.06.2023
Despite mounting pressure, Japan has begun injecting seawater into a drainage tunnel of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a first step to release treated radioactive wastewater into the ocean.
The tunnel was filled with water on Tuesday, triggering a sharp response from the Chinese mission in Tokyo.
Japan plans to release treated radioactive wastewater into the ocean, triggering opposition and concerns from local fishing communities and neighboring countries.
“The harm caused by the discharge of nuclear water into the sea is immeasurable,” China’s diplomatic mission in Japan said in a statement.
“Workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are sending seawater into an underwater tunnel that has been built to release treated and diluted water from the facility into the ocean,” Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
“Once filled with seawater, the tunnel will guide treated water from the plant to a point about 1 kilometer offshore.”
The water release system is nearing completion, with the exception of a reservoir that will store treated water prior to its release. The utility aims to finish all construction tasks by the end of June……………………
Urging Japan not to put future generations at risk, the Chinese Embassy stressed that besides ocean discharge, formation injection, steam discharge, hydrogen discharge, and underground burial are also viable options. However, it is “irresponsible” for the Japanese side not to seriously consider and show other extermination options.
Zhang Kejian, Chairman of China Atomic Energy Authority, also criticized Japan’s “extremely irresponsible” act.
Japan disregarded the concerns of its people and other countries, providing no scientific answers or consulting with neighbors and stakeholders, he said at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors meeting held on Monday in Austria.
A signature campaign was launched in South Korea last week to oppose Japan’s intended discharge of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The campaign was initiated by South Korea’s leading opposition Democratic Party in the capital Seoul.
DP Chairman Lee Jae-Myung expressed his concerns, questioning how the president and the ruling party can support Japan and grant them immunity and permission to dispose of hazardous nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean.
Japan unveiled the water discharge plan in April 2021, triggering massive criticism from China, South Korea, North Korea, the island nation of Taiwan, and international bodies, including the UN……………………. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/amid-opposition-japan-takes-1st-step-to-release-nuclear-waste-into-ocean/2916489
Content of radioactive element in fish at Fukushima’s Nuclear Power Plant 180 times of safe limit
CGTN 6 June 23
The radioactive elements in the marine fish caught in the harbor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan far exceed safety levels for human consumption, according to a report issued by the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on Monday. In particular, the data released show that the content of Cs-137, a radioactive element that is a common byproduct in nuclear reactors, is 180 times that of the standard maximum stipulated in Japan’s food safety law.
CGTN downloaded the English version of the report available on TEPCO’s official website. According to the data, the sampled black rockfish contains the radioactive element Cs-137 with a content of 18,000 becquerels per kilogram. Data available on the website of Fukushima Revitalization Station run by Japan’s Fukushima prefectural government shows that Japan’s current limit of radioactive cesium in general food which contains fish is set at 100 becquerels per kilogram.
According to the report, the location where the sampled fish was caught is at the port area of Units 1 to 4 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where a breakwater is built and nuclear wastewater with a high concentration of radioactive substances flows in. TEPCO said it will set up multiple protective nets to prevent fish from swimming out of the harbor.
A Chinese news website sina.com.cn quoted experts noting that the radioactive elements in the nuclear wastewater could penetrate into fish, shrimp and other seafood, and later accumulate in the human body after consumption. ……………………
TEPCO on Monday started sending seawater into an underwater tunnel to be diluted before releasing the nuclear wastewater into the ocean. The company said that all facilities for the water release system are expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Local fishing communities say their businesses and livelihoods will suffer still more damage. Neighboring countries such as China and South Korea and Pacific Island nations have raised safety concerns. Environmental groups including Friends of the Earth oppose the release. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-06-06/Radioactive-element-in-fish-at-Fukushima-plant-180-times-safe-limit-1kpOlJEH9xm/index.html
Japan passes law to allow nuclear power stations to operate beyond 60 years
Japan’s parliament has passed legislation allowing the country’s nuclear
power operators to continue using reactors beyond their maximum lifespan of
60 years, by excluding the time spent on increased safety scrutiny in the
wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Argus Media 6th June 2023
https://www.argusmedia.com/en//news/2456784-tokyo-passes-law-to-extend-nuclear-reactors-lifespan
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