Korea to keep close tabs on Japan’s Fukushima water discharge plan
May 22, 2022
Korea will step up communication with Japan and the U.N. nuclear watchdog to address health and security concerns over Tokyo’s planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority gave initial approval Wednesday for Tokyo Electric Power’s plan to discharge water from the plant starting around early 2023. Final approval is planned following a 30-day public comment period.
The foreign ministry said it remains committed to its efforts to ensure Japan safely releases the contaminated water from the plant in line with “international laws and standards” based on “objective and scientific perspective.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is tasked with conducting safety reviews on the planned water release.
“The government will continue to strengthen communication between Korea and Japan, as well as with the international community including the IAEA, by prioritizing public health and security in relation to the (Fukushima) contaminated water,” ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam told a press briefing.
In April 2021, Japan announced a plan to start discharging the radioactive water in 2023 in what is expected to be a decades-long process, as all storage tanks at the Fukushima plant are expected to be full as early as the fall of this year. (Yonhap)
Japan’s nuclear water disposal plan irresponsible
May 20, 2022
Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority granted initial approval on Wednesday for the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s plan to pipe contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the ocean.
The water was used to cool damaged reactors after tsunami waves crashed into the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, knocking out its backup electricity supply and triggering meltdowns in three of its reactors, following an earthquake in 2011.
The decision shows the Japanese government and the Japanese company stand together in diverting this problem toward humankind. And the Japanese people are among the first who will suffer because of this disastrous plan. Local reports show many Japanese residents have already expressed strong opposition to the plan.
Satoshi Nozaki, head of the Fukushima Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives Associations, said the plan will spell the death knell of the local fisheries industry. Already, importers from the world over have rejected agricultural and fishery products from Fukushima.
A Fukushima resident surnamed Uno expressed her anger against the decision saying this is something that will affect generations to come.
Japan’s immediate neighbors, residents of China and the Republic of Korea, will face no less harm from the radioactive discharge. Chinese and ROK fishermen might have to abandon fishing in the region.
On hearing that they would be served fish from Fukushima, athletes from the ROK had brought their own food with them to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
All seas being interconnected, neither North America nor Europe can escape the fate if Japan discharges the contaminated water into the ocean; a CCTV report had said the nuclear waste water from Fukushima would reach North America within 57 days.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company started manufacturing pipes for discharging the water in April and the discharge is scheduled to begin nearly next year. The world should stop Japan from carrying out this disastrous plan.
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202205/20/WS6286df99a310fd2b29e5dddb.html
Japan OKs plan to release Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater
Japan’s nuclear regulator has approved plans by the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant to release its treated radioactive wastewater into the sea next year, saying the outlined methods are safe and risks to the environment minimal
By Mari Yamaguchi Associated Press
May 18, 2022
TOKYO — Japan’s nuclear regulator on Wednesday approved plans by the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant to release its treated radioactive wastewater into the sea next year, saying the outlined methods are safe and risks to the environment minimal.
The plan was submitted by the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings in December based on the government’s decision last year to release the wastewater as a necessary step for the ongoing plant cleanup and decommission.
A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plant’s cooling systems, causing the meltdown of three reactors and the release of large amounts of radiation. Water that has been used to cool the three damaged reactor cores, which remain highly radioactive, has since leaked but was collected and stored in tanks.
There is still concern in the community and neighboring countries about the potential health hazards of the release of the wastewater that includes tritium — a byproduct of nuclear power production and a possible carcinogen at high levels.
The government and TEPCO say more than 60 isotopes selected for treatment can be lowered to meet safety standards, except for tritium, but that it is safe if diluted. Scientists say impact of long term low-dose exposure to the environment and humans are unknown, and that tritium can have a bigger impact on humans when consumed in fish than in water.
Japan nuclear authority chairman Toyoshi Fuketa said that the plan is made conservatively so the radiation impact on the environment could be still below the legal limit in case of any thinkable risks.
Under the plan, TEPCO will transport water that has been treated to below releasable levels through a pipeline from the tanks to a coastal facility, where the water is diluted with seawater.
From there, the water will enter an undersea tunnel to be discharged at a point about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) from the plant to ensure safety and minimize the impact on local fishing and the environment, according to TEPCO.
The plan will become official after a 30-day public review, a formality that is not expected to overturn the approval.
The green light came just as the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director Mariano Grossi arrived in Japan for meetings with top officials to discuss the plan, which has received international attention.
Fuketa will meet with Grossi on Friday after the IAEA director’s visit to the Fukushima plant on Thursday and meetings with other Japanese officials.
The government and TEPCO plan to begin gradually releasing the treated water in spring 2023.
The contaminated water is being stored in about 1,000 tanks at the damaged plant, which officials say must be removed so that facilities can be built for its decommissioning. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons next year — slower than an earlier estimate of later this year.
Japan has sought the IAEA’s assistance to ensure the water release meets international safety standards, and to reassure local fishing and other communities as well as neighboring countries that have sharply criticized the plan.
A team of experts from the IAEA visited the plant in February and March for meetings with Japanese government and TEPCO officials. The task force, in a report issued late April, said Japan is making “significant progress” on the plan and taking appropriate steps toward the planned discharge.
Regulatory Commission approves plan to discharge treated water containing tritium, etc., into the sea.
May 18, 2022
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has approved a plan formulated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to discharge into the sea water containing tritium and other radioactive materials that have accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in accordance with government policy.
At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, in addition to groundwater and rainwater flowing into the reactor buildings, contaminated water containing radioactive materials is generated as a result of cooling melted-down nuclear fuel, and after purification, the so-called “treated water” still contains tritium and other radioactive materials that are difficult to remove.
The government has decided that the ever-increasing amount of treated water cannot continue to be stored on the plant’s premises, so it will be diluted to a concentration below the standard and discharged into the sea around next spring.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has been reviewing the plan.
At its meeting on March 18, the Nuclear Regulation Authority took up a draft review document summarizing the discussions to date, including a method to check the concentration of tritium and other substances in the treated water before discharging it, and an assessment of the effects of exposure to the surrounding environment and people, as described in the plan.
As a result, the Regulatory Commission approved TEPCO’s plan, finding no problems with the content of the review.
After soliciting opinions from the public for about a month from the 19th, the plan is expected to be officially approved.
TEPCO has been working since last December on the entrance and exit of the undersea tunnel for the offshore discharge, and after obtaining the approval of Fukushima Prefecture and local authorities, will start full-scale construction of facilities to dilute the treated water with seawater and the tunnel itself, aiming to complete the work around mid-April next year. The construction is scheduled to be completed by mid-April of next year.
However, concerns about harmful rumors persist, especially among local residents and fishermen, and the issue is how the government and TEPCO will gain the understanding of all concerned parties.
Fishermen’s Cooperative “Firmly Opposed”]
Haruhiko Terasawa, head of the Miyagi Prefectural Fisheries Cooperative Association, commented on the Nuclear Regulation Commission’s approval of TEPCO’s plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, “Ascidians caught in Miyagi Prefecture still cannot be exported to some countries. We are firmly opposed to the discharge of treated water into the ocean, and we hope that the government will first create an environment in which we can fish with peace of mind.
He added, “After the earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident, it was hard for us to sell seafood from Miyagi Prefecture. I don’t want to feel that way again. From overseas, the seas of Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture are seen as the same region, so I want Miyagi Prefecture to provide the same level of support as Fukushima Prefecture, where the nuclear power plant is located,” he said, calling on the national government and TEPCO to provide explanations that are satisfactory to local fishermen and take concrete measures to prevent harmful rumors.
Governor Murai: “Take measures against reputational rumors.”
In response to the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s approval of a plan to discharge into the sea water containing tritium and other radioactive materials that have accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Governor Murai stated, “The prefecture will continue to request that disposal methods other than discharging into the sea be considered, and will also seek more concrete measures to ensure that our past efforts and achievements toward reconstruction will not be undone. In addition, the prefectural government will ask the central government and TEPCO to take more concrete and effective measures against rumors to ensure that the efforts and achievements made so far toward reconstruction will not be undone.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/tohoku-news/20220518/6000019337.html?fbclid=IwAR3Y2DpVdxBz2yQ-fNdJAy7xxM9SF_qkNYmGoB_SgZTsPmLyi5l–HDQY7Y
Chinese FM urges Japan to immediately stop construction of nuclear wastewater discharge project
May 17, 2022
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged the Japanese government to immediately terminate the construction of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge project near the Fukushima nuclear power plant by Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), stressing that countries across the Pacific have expressed serious concern and firm opposition to Japan’s wastewater-dumping decision.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted at Tuesday’s press conference that it is irresponsible for Tokyo Electric Power Company to push ahead with the project of dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea in disregard of the serious concerns of local residents and the international community.
Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) announced on Monday that it will discuss a draft review of the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea at its regular meeting on May 18. If agreed, the plan could be approved after a process including soliciting public opinions.
The Japanese government has so far failed to provide a convincing explanation on the legitimacy of the discharge program, on data reliability of the contaminated water, on the effectiveness of purification devices, and on the uncertainty of environmental impact, Wang said.
Given the potential harm of the wastewater to the marine ecological environment, food safety and human health, opposition voices from the Pacific Rim countries and the Japanese public have never stopped since the decision was made one a year ago.
Countries including China, South Korea, Russia and some Pacific island nations have expressed concerns; multiple Japanese civil organizations launched a petition with the signatures of 180,000 Japanese people to resist the project, the spokesperson noted.
According to TEPCO, the total amount of the nuclear-contaminated water in Fukushima reached 1.293 million tons at the end of March and continued to increase, and the contaminated water would be diluted with seawater and discharged.
It is estimated that 254 liters of clean seawater are needed for each liter of nuclear-contaminated wastewater, so the total amount of contaminated water Japan will eventually release into the ocean will exceed 300 million tons.
Wang stated Japan should pay attention to the concerns of the international community and the Japanese people, revoke the wrong decision, stop all preparations for the discharge project, and fulfill its due international obligations.
Aversion to food from Fukushima remains high in South Korea
TEPCO’s preparing the public for the release of the accumulated stored radioactive water lying through their teeth as always, with the help of the JUapanese mainstream media:
‘The water will be diluted with seawater to bring its radiation level to well within safety standards’
May 16, 2022
Nearly 80 percent of South Koreans want to avoid food products from Fukushima Prefecture regardless of the water-release plan at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, a survey showed.
The Reconstruction Agency conducted the online survey in January and February in 10 countries and regions to gauge international feelings toward Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s plan to discharge treated radioactive water into the sea as early as spring 2023. A total of 2,700 individuals responded.
The survey results, released on April 26, will be used to take countermeasures against negative publicity from the water-release plan that could hurt the image of products from the prefecture, the agency said.
The government in April 2021 decided to discharge the water to reduce the more than 1 million tons of processed water stored at the plant.
Although the treatment process cannot remove tritium, the water will be ‘diluted with seawater to bring its radiation level to well within safety standards’, TEPCO has said.
According to the survey, 13 percent of respondents in Japan “do not want to buy” Fukushima-derived foodstuffs as of now. The ratio rose slightly to 14 percent when the water-release plan was included in the scenario.
The percentage increases were 5 to 8 points in five nations and regions, including Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States.
In South Korea, about 77 percent said they do not want to buy Fukushima-made products regardless of whether the water is discharged into the sea.
The survey asked respondents if they knew that Japan’s food safety levels are controlled under some of the strictest standards in the world.
Around 50 percent each in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan were aware, while the rate topped 30 percent in Europe and the United States.
However, just 15 percent of South Koreans said they were aware of Japan’s safety levels. And 56 percent said they knew about the safety levels but doubted the claims by the Japanese government.
Kosaburo Nishime, the reconstruction minister, on April 26 asked government bodies to show the international community data from the International Atomic Energy Agency and other third parties concerning the water-release plan.
The central government plans to bolster its radiation monitoring of waters around the Fukushima plant after the water is discharged.
Fukushima Citizens’ Group Urges TEPCO to Halt Construction Work to Discharge Treated Water from Nuclear Power Plants into Ocean, “Causing Further Burden and Suffering
May 13, 2022
On May 13, the “Don’t Pollute the Sea Anymore! Citizens’ Council” formed by residents of Fukushima prefecture asked TEPCO on March 13 to refrain from constructing facilities for the ocean discharge.
Chiyo Oda, 67, co-chairperson of the Citizens’ Council, and others handed a written request to Seiichi Iguchi, director of TEPCO’s Nuclear Energy Center, at a building near TEPCO’s headquarters in Uchisaiwaicho, Tokyo.
Mr. Oda said, “Many people in Fukushima Prefecture are distrustful of the way TEPCO is sacrificing reconstruction by proceeding with preparations such as undersea construction and prioritizing decommissioning,” and pointed out that the ocean discharge “will impose additional burden and suffering on the victims and is unacceptable. He also criticized TEPCO’s 2015 promise to the Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Federation that it would not discharge treated water into the ocean without the understanding of all concerned parties, saying, “If TEPCO does not keep its promise and forces the discharge, it will leave a huge mark on the future. The citizens’ meeting protested in front of the TEPCO headquarters.
In addition to protesting in front of TEPCO’s headquarters, the citizens’ group also asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to approve the discharge facilities.
Construction of undersea tunnels and other discharge facilities requires the prior approval of Fukushima Prefecture and the towns of Okuma and Futaba, which are the municipalities where the plant is located, after approval by the Nuclear Regulation Commission. However, TEPCO has partially proceeded with the construction of the tunnel, claiming that excavation of the ground is not subject to prior approval, and has installed a shield machine to dig the tunnel at the launch site, making it ready to start construction at any time. （The construction of the tunnel is ready to start at any time.)
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/177194?fbclid=IwAR201TgVHRidyK-AQfe1ixMrV-JQX5dl6YrfuliIQ2VaWoSwuixjEXHGzZA
Interview: Opposition mounts to planned release of Fukushima water into Pacific, says British expert
Xinhua, May 13, 2022
LONDON, May 12 (Xinhua) — A leading British nuclear industry expert has called for a detailed consultation over the Japanese government’s plans to release more than a million tonnes of contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean.
The concerns “should be listened to and should be considered and discussed with those who are raising those concerns,” Professor David Copplestone, a renowned expert in environmental radioactivity at the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
In April last year, the government of Japan decided to release about 1.25 million tonnes of waste water into the ocean in 30 years starting in 2023. The contaminated water contains radioactive cesium, strontium, tritium and other radioactive substances.
The move drew the ire of local fishermen. Opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) of Japan, also criticized the plan and demanded its withdrawal.
“There have been impacts on the fishing industry related to the incident back in 2011,” said Copplestone, who has visited Fukushima and has undertaken extensive research worldwide with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In his opinion, “there are reputational, social and economic impacts that have occurred primarily because, quite often, people become fearful of consuming fish from these areas that may be contaminated.”
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. An ensuing tsunami engulfed the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing core meltdowns in three of the units and leading to the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.
Eleven years after this disaster, the aftermath of the meltdown, along with the large amount of contaminated water, continue to cause headaches to Japan and the rest of the world.
Japan has claimed that the contaminated water could be diluted and discharged, but several local and international green activists have said that the claim repeatedly proved wrong as the purification equipment cannot eliminate radioactive materials completely.
“One of the main concerns here is the presence of tritium, which is a hydrogen element that is radioactive as an isotope. It is very difficult to separate it from the contaminated water,” Copplestone said.
“If we want to dispose of that water, we have to think about ways to first get rid of the radionuclides in that water — if at all this is possible. Unfortunately, it is not possible to remove tritium from that water,” he noted.
According to Copplestone, “this is about holding a really open dialogue to educate people about the consequences of the planned release.”
“It’s really important for the Japanese government to engage in dialogue with those voicing their concerns, and to listen to those concerns,” he said.
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2022-05/13/content_78215480.htm
Dumping treated nuclear wastewater in Pacific Ocean not recommended
May 2, 2022
Japan has proposed discharging treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, and an independent panel of global experts on nuclear issues was developed to support Pacific nations in their consultations. Robert Richmond, a research professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory, was one of five experts selected to join the panel.
In 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima, Japan damaged the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. To prevent further damage and overheating, workers pumped water through the remains. Last year, Japan announced its intentions to begin discharging the accumulated radioactively contaminated cooling water into the Pacific Ocean starting in 2023, claiming that after treatment, it is safe to do so. Some Pacific nations are concerned about whether that can be done safely.
The Pacific Islands Forum, made up of 18 independent Pacific Island countries, created the expert panel to provide independent technical advice as part of the ongoing dialogue with Japan officials and representatives of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima where the wastewater has accumulated since the tsunami.
“At this point, we’re unanimous in saying we don’t see enough information to support dumping the radioactively contaminated water into the ocean,” said Richmond, who has conducted marine conservation research in the Pacific for more than four decades. “Our first recommendation to the group is to take that option off the table for now.”
Trans-boundary issue
Through the movement of ocean currents and transport by pelagic fishes that can take up and accumulate radionuclides (a radioactive and unstable form of an element), more widespread distribution can and will take place.
“This is truly a trans-boundary issue,” said Richmond. “Fish don’t respect political lines, and neither do radionuclides or pollutants in the ocean. I really commend the members of the Pacific Islands Forum for recognizing that this is an issue that they need additional information on.”
In announcing the formation of the panel, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna emphasized, “Our ultimate goal is to safeguard the Blue Pacific—our ocean, our environment and our peoples—from any further nuclear contamination. This is the legacy we must leave for our children.”
Richmond has studied the uptake of radioactive Ru-106 in crayfish as an indicator of leakage from nuclear power plants while working at the Department of Radiation Biology and Biophysics at the University of Rochester Medical School and spent two years performing research on Enewetak Atoll, home to the U.S. nuclear testing program from 1948–58. He presented at the 7th Our Oceans Conference in Palau. This event, co-hosted by the Republic of Palau and the U.S., offered a key moment for countries, civil society and industry to commit to concrete and significant actions to protect the ocean. Richmond emphasized the need for adequate and accurate information for decision makers to make sound decisions to protect and conserve marine habitats and life, and all those who depend on ocean resources.
“This is not the first nuclear incident, and it won’t be the last,” said Richmond. “Perhaps this can be an opportunity to try different approaches that have never been tried before. Maybe this could be a learning opportunity to really set the bar for the future of not continuing to use our oceans as the dumping ground.”
Additional panel members are Ken Buesseler, senior scientist and oceanographer of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research; Antony Hooker, associate professor and director, Centre for Radiation Research, Education and Innovation, the University of Adelaide; Ferenc (Jacob Rolf) Dalnoki-Veress, scientist-in-residence and adjunct professor at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
The panel recently shared a detailed set of initial recommendations to the Secretariat that will be available soon.
This research is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise (PDF), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
IAEA sees ‘limited impact’ of water release at Fukushima nuclear plant
Another smooth propaganda article from the spin doctors…..
Apr 30, 2022
An International Atomic Energy Agency team expects only a limited impact on humans following the planned release into the sea of treated radioactive water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s crippled nuclear power plant.
Chemical substances in the treated water are “far below the Japanese regulatory limits,” said the first report by the IAEA task force reviewing Japan’s plans to discharge the water from the meltdown-stricken Fukushima No. 1 plant into the Pacific Ocean.
But the team stopped short of reaching a conclusion on the safety of the release. The team plans to continue its assessment and announce a final judgment before Tepco starts releasing the water.
The task force, comprising a group of independent and highly recognized experts with diverse technical backgrounds from various countries, said that Japan’s preparations for the planned discharge are proceeding largely in line with international safety standards. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that Japan has made “significant progress in its preparations” and the task force is satisfied that Tepco and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry have identified the appropriate next steps for the water discharge.
The task force visited Japan in February, inspecting the power plant and interviewing Tepco and government officials. In the report, the task force said that its review of the water release plans focuses on eight points including radiological environmental impact assessment, water quality monitoring and involvement of interested parties.
Water that has become contaminated after being pumped in to cool melted reactor fuel at the plant has been accumulating at the complex, also mixing with rainwater and groundwater at the site.
Tepco expects that its storage tanks for treated water will reach full capacity by around summer or autumn 2023.
The water is treated through an advanced liquid processing system that removes radionuclides except for tritium. The water will be released 1 kilometer off the coast of the power plant through an underwater tunnel.
Before the discharge, it will be diluted with seawater below 1/40 of the current regulations, according to the government.
In a statement issued Friday, industry minister Koichi Hagiuda said the government will continue its efforts to “ensure the safety of handling … treated water and to foster understanding both in Japan and abroad.”
China and South Korea have expressed concerns with Japan’s plan to release the treated water.
Local fishermen have been widely opposed to the release out of fear of reputational damage to the region’s seafood, although a recent survey showed that the release’s impact on consumer habits would be minimal.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/30/national/iaea-fukushima-water-release-safety/
Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Study Continues – IAEA
April 29, 2022
Berlin, April 29, 2022 – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on April 29 that it will continue its investigation into the discharge into the ocean of treated water containing tritium from TEPCO’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. On April 29, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) compiled the first report by a team of investigators to verify the safety of the discharge of treated water containing tritium from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The report noted that, based on TEPCO’s analysis of the impact of radiation on the human body if the treated water were to be released, “it has been confirmed that the level of radiation is significantly smaller than that set by the Japanese regulatory authorities. However, he also explained that a final decision on safety will be announced before the release of the water. He indicated that he would not draw any conclusions for the time being, but would continue his investigation.
The survey team visited Japan in February, inspected the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and held hearings with related ministries and agencies and TEPCO. The report will be released two months after each survey that will be conducted before the release of the water in the future. TEPCO has set the timing of when the tanks storing the treated water will be full at around the summer or fall of 2023.
https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2022042900719&g=soc&fbclid=IwAR0H-Z3MNHHCUoyzBkx3tRDUufnVKN3yB3eDhHoSde4y9ooHVFfhsbTP7Ys
IAEA Releases First Report on Safety of Planned Water Discharge from Fukushima Daiichi Site
April 298, 2022
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Task Force, which is reviewing Japan’s policy to discharge treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station against relevant international safety standards, today released its first report.
The report summarizes the overall progress in the technical preparations for the water discharge. It compiles the initial findings from the Task Force’s first review mission to Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station operator, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in February 2022.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi welcomed the initial findings. “Japan has made significant progress in its preparations and the Task Force is satisfied that TEPCO and METI have identified the appropriate next steps for the water discharge scheduled for 2023,” he said. “The work will continue so the Task Force can provide its conclusions before the discharge”.
The report includes a summary of the Task Force’s review and assessment activities across a range of topics such as the characteristics of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water, safety related aspects of the system built to discharge the water, the radiological environmental impact assessment, regulatory oversight, source and environmental monitoring programmes, occupational radiation protection, and the involvement of interested parties.
Preparing for the next steps in their review, the Task Force identified technical topics for further discussions and clarifications as Japan continues with its preparations. They also noted that TEPCO and METI put significant efforts into consulting with, and communicating to, interested parties and the public about the process to discharge the water. They look forward to seeing this continue as Japan approaches the 2023 water discharge.
“The Task Force highlighted the effective cooperation with the Japanese counterparts, which made it possible to clearly and promptly convey the results of the review mission to the international community” said Gustavo Caruso, Director, Department of Nuclear Safety and Security and Chair of the Task Force.”
The Task Force report is the first in a series of reports as the Task Force carries out more missions to Japan in the coming months and years to assess the water discharge against IAEA safety standards, which constitute the worldwide reference for protecting the public and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
The report is available here.
TEPCO pushes back timeline for storage tanks at Fukushima plant
Tactics: one step backward to later jump two steps forward…
April 28, 2022
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the tanks that store treated but still contaminated water at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will reach full capacity later than expected.
It projected on April 27 they will be full in either the summer or fall of 2023, not its previous estimate of spring 2023.
The tanks store water treated through a filtration system, called ALPS (advanced liquid processing system), which is a multi-nuclide removal system that removes various radioactive materials from contaminated water.
TEPCO said on April 27 that the amount of contaminated water at the plant only increased by an average of 130 tons a day.
The amount of contaminated water was lower than what the company had expected because of its measures to prevent underground water or rainwater from coming into the buildings in which nuclear power reactors and other facilities are located, it said.
The estimate for when the storage tanks will be completely full has been modified several times before.
The government and TEPCO initially said the tanks could be full by sometime around summer 2022. That estimate was later amended to “by around the fall of 2022.”
When the company announced plans to add 23 storage tanks with a total capacity of about 30,000 tons at the plant in May 2021, it said the tanks would be full by around spring 2023.
TEPCO plans to dilute the tritium concentration in the ALPS treated water using seawater as the radioactive hydrogen atom cannot be removed through the filtration system. It then aims to discharge it into the sea in spring 2023.
Japan’s Toxic Dumping Faces Growing Protests
April 29, 2022 by Robert Hunziker
The Japanese government’s decision one year ago to dump radioactive water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant storage tanks into the Pacific Ocean, starting in the spring of 2023, is facing increasing pressure to back off, especially in light of the facts that not only is it illegal but also morally reprehensible as well as a despicable disregard for the lifeblood of the ocean.
Meanwhile, in a startling maneuver indicative of desperation to convince citizens of its true worthiness, the Japanese government is using mind control tactics reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (Chatto & Windus, 1932), which depicts harmful effects that the expansion and development of a capitalist ideology can impose on a society.
To wit: Japanese citizens are outraged over a new government policy of brainwashing children by distributing flyers to primary school students claiming TEPCO’s “diluted, nuclear-contaminated water is safe.”
“The government sent a total of 2.3 million booklets directly to elementary, junior and senior high schools across the nation in December in an effort to prevent reputational damage caused by the planned water discharge. The school staffers say the leaflets are unilaterally imposing the central government’s views on children.” (Source: Booklets Touting Fukushima Plant Water Discharge Angers Schools, The Asahi Shimbun, March 7, 2022)
“A Fukushima resident surnamed Kataoka told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Japanese government’s move was a kind of mind control, and she was strongly opposed to it.” (Source: Japanese Groups Voice Growing Opposition, Organize Rallies Over Govt’s Nuclear-Contaminated Water Dumping Plan Decided One Year Before, Global Times, April 13, 2022)
Japanese citizens are fighting back as four separate civic organizations from Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures submitted a petition signed by 180,000 people to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and to Tokyo Electric Power Company on March 30th 2022 expressing opposition to the government’s plan.
Additionally, Japanese environmental protection groups have organized national rallies in Tokyo and Fukushima, stating they will continue to rally in the streets until the government revokes its decision: “Once the nuclear-contaminated water is discharged into the sea, the result is irreversible. It’s not only Fukushima. The ocean connects the whole world. We hope we don’t discharge toxic substances into the sea,” said protester Ayumu Aoyanagi. “I am angry. They completely ignored public opinion. I hope people understand that the danger may not appear soon but will definitely affect our health in the future,” said another protester named Makiyo Takahashi.” (Source: Fukushima Residents Oppose Government Dumping Radioactive Water Into Ocean, CGTN News, April 14, 2022)
Zhao Lijian of the Chinese Foreign Ministry claims the Japanese government has turned a deaf ear to any and all opposition, failing to provide any convincing evidence of the legitimacy of the discharge program, no reliable data on the contaminated water and effectiveness of purification devices, and no convincing evidence about environmental impact. (Source: Japan Severely Breaches Obligations Under International Law by Persisting in Discharge of Nuclear-contaminated Water Into Ocean, People’s Daily Online, April 15, 2022)
Moreover, “this water adds to the already nuclear polluted ocean. This threatens the lives and livelihoods of islanders heavily reliant on marine resources. These include inshore fisheries as well as pelagic fishes such as tuna. The former provides daily sustenance and food security, and the latter much needed foreign exchange via fishing licenses for distant water fishing nation fleets,” Vijay Naidu, adjunct professor at the School of Law and Social Sciences at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, told Al Jazeera. (Source: ‘Not a Dumping Ground’: Pacific Condemns Fukushima Water Plan, Al Jazeera, Feb. 14, 2022)
The principal radioactive isotope to be released “tritium is a normal contaminant from the discharges, the cooling water from normal reactor operations, but this is the equivalent of several centuries worth of normal production of tritium that’s in this water, so it is a very large amount,” according to Tilman Ruff, a Nobel laureate and associate professor at the Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne in Australia, Ibid.
Japan claims the radioactive water dump will be safe, however: “Obviously, the higher the level of exposure [to radiation], the greater the risk, but there is no level below which there is no effect,” Ruff said. “That is now really fairly conclusively proven, because in the last decade or so there have been impressive very large studies of large numbers of people exposed to low doses of radiation. At levels even a fraction of those that we receive from normal background [radiation] exposure from the rocks, from cosmic radiation. At even those very low levels, harmful effects have been demonstrated,” Ibid.
Chang Yen-chiang, director of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea Research Institute of Dalian Maritime University is urging the international community to stop the discharge by first requesting the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the illegality of Japan’s dumping plan followed by motions to stop the process by China, South Korea, Russia, North Korea, and Pacific Island nations at the UN General Assembly.
Japan, as a signatory to: (1) the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (2) the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident (3) the Convention on Nuclear Safety (4) the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management, and (5) the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management has clearly and knowingly breached its obligations under international law.
According to the plan released by TEPCO for the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water generated by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the country will soon begin official preparations for the release of the contaminated water and plans to begin long-term discharge of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023.
However, according to an article in People’s Daily Online d/d April 15, 2022: “Data from TEPCO showed that the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear accident still contains many kinds of radionuclides with a long half-life even after secondary treatment.”
Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace East Asia claims the toxic water dump risks additional nuclear debris into the Pacific Ocean whereas the discharge is not the only option as “ the Japanese government once admitted that there is enough space near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and areas around Fukushima prefecture to build more storage facilities for the water.” (Global Times)
The Citizens Committee on Nuclear Energy recommends proper storage on land in Japan similar to storage the country uses for its national oil and petroleum reserves. “The argument that they make… is that, if this water was stored not for an indeterminate period, but even for a period of about 50-60 years, then, by then, the tritium will have decayed to a tiny fraction of what it is today and hardly be an issue.” (Al Jazeera)
Even though the US boldly approves of the dumping plan, the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory with a population of over 50,000 people, has declared Japan’s plan as “unacceptable.” In December 2021, the US territory adopted a joint resolution opposing any nation disposing of nuclear waste in the Pacific Ocean as well as suggesting the only acceptable option is long-term storage and processing using the best technology available.
In all similar circumstances, historical events have a way of swinging back and forth in time and landing smack dab in the middle of new controversies, for example, when it comes to radioactivity in the Pacific, memories are long. More than 300 atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests by the US, UK, and France from the 1940s, especially in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and French Polynesia, left uninhabitable land in many locations as well as long-term health disorders throughout the region. Japan’s dumping plans bring back haunting memories.
“Satyendra Prasad, the Chair of Pacific Islands Forum Ambassadors at the United Nations, reminded the world in September last year of the Pacific’s “ongoing struggle with the legacy of nuclear testing from the trans boundary contamination of homes and habitats to higher numbers of birth defects and cancers.” (Al Jazeera)
Meantime, and especially over the past couple of decades, Japan increasingly and fearlessly adheres to, and puts into actual practice, the overriding theme as expressed in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which is “the dangers of state control” whilst the father of liberalism John Locke (1632-1704) not surprisingly spins in his grave.
For example, in December 2013 Japan passed the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets Act providing for whistleblowing civil servants to face up to 10 years in prison and the journalists who work with them could face up to five years for leaking state secrets.
Here’s a major twist to that law: The guidelines empower the heads of 19 ministries and agencies to subjectively “designate which documents and subjects comprise state secrets.” In short, subjective judgment by any given state official determines who goes to jail.
“The result is that while civil servants will be aware of a document’s classification, journalists cannot be sure just what comprises a state secret. Whistleblowing civil servants and journalists could face arrest even if they are convinced they are acting in the public’s interest.” (Source: Japan’s State Secrets Law, A Minefield for Journalist, Committee to Protect Journalists-NY, Nov. 4, 2014)
Since Japan appears to be adhering to the precepts of Brave New World, it’s interesting to note that thirty years following publication of Brave New World, Huxley wrote Brave New World Revisited: “If the first half of the twentieth century was the era of the technical engineers, the second half may well be the era of the social engineers— and the twenty-first century, I suppose, will be the era of World Controllers, the scientific caste system and Brave New World.” (Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited, Harper & Brothers, 1958)
Huxley warned that a Brave New World type of order could be the “final” or “ultimate” revolution when people have their liberties taken from them, but “they will enjoy their servitude and so never question it, let alone rebel.”
Really?
Release of Fukushima water to have ‘limited’ impact on consumer habits, poll shows
What a smooth piece of propaganda by Japan’s spin doctors on behalf of the will to dump all that ‘treated’ radioactive water into OUR Pacific ocean!!!
Apr 27, 2022
The impact on consumers of the planned release into the ocean of treated water from the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is seen as limited both in Japan and abroad, a government survey has shown.
Among respondents from Japan in the online survey, the proportion of those who said they would refrain from buying food items produced in Fukushima Prefecture, where the nuclear plant is located, after the start of the water release came to 14.7%, against 13.3% who said they are already avoiding such items.
The two comparable figures among respondents from the United States stood at 38.3% against 32%, and at 41% against 41.3% among those from Taiwan.
Of respondents from South Korea, 77.7% said they are currently avoiding Fukushima food products while 76% said they would do so after the water release.
The survey polled 300 people from each of Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the U.K., the United States and France and 150 from each of Australia and New Zealand in January and February.
The attitude survey by the Reconstruction Agency was the first to be conducted over the planned discharge of treated water, which contains radioactive tritium from the plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., that was the site of the 2011 triple reactor meltdown.
The survey also suggested that only 29% in Japan and only 16% in the United States know that tritium is released to rivers and the sea in many countries based on existing laws and regulations.
“We need to spread knowledge (about tritium) in and outside our country,” Reconstruction Minister Kosaburo Nishime told a meeting Tuesday, where the survey results were reported.
The government will strengthen measures to prevent reputational damage to food items due to the planned water release, he stressed.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/27/national/fukushima-water-consumer-impact-limited/
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