The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will begin putting treated, diluted wastewater into the Pacific Ocean as early as Thursday. .“The government will take responsibility until the disposal of ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System)-treated water is completed, even if it takes several decades,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told The Associated Press on Tuesday..This move is a controversial step the Japanese government says is essential for the decades of work needed to clean up the facility which had reactor meltdowns 12 years ago. .Kishida gave the final approval at a meeting of cabinet ministers involved in the planning and instructed the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) to be ready to start the coastal release Thursday if weather and water conditions permit. .He said at the meeting the release of the water is a key step in Fukushima Daiichi’s decommissioning and the prefecture’s recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. .He acknowledged the Japanese government has done what it can to ensure the plan’s safety, protect the reputation of Japan’s fishing industry and explain the scientific basis of the move. In this case, he said the government will continue these efforts until the end of the release and decommissioning, which will take decades. .South Korean Office for Government Policy Coordination First Vice Minister Park Ku-Yeon told a press conference officials confirmed Japan would discharge the wastewater in line with its initial plan. .If Japan does not stick to the plan, Park said South Korea will request it stop the discharge which could threaten the safety of South Koreans. Opposition lawmakers and activists protested this move, demanding Japan scrap the plan. .Hong Kong and Macau announced they are banning products from Fukushima and nine other prefectures because of this announcement and China has stepped up radiation testing on Japanese fisheries products. .An earthquake and tsunami destroyed Fukushima Daiichi’s cooling systems, melting three of its reactors and contaminating their cooling water. The 1.34 million tons of water has been collected, filtered and stored in about 1,000 tanks, which fill much of the plant’s grounds and will reach their capacity in early 2024. .The release of the treated wastewater has faced strong opposition from Japanese fishing organizations, which worry about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as they struggle to recover from the nuclear disaster. Groups in South Korea and China have raised concerns, turning it into a political and diplomatic issue. .The Japanese government and TEPCO said the water must be removed to make room for the plant’s decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks from the tanks. .TEPCO executive Junichi Matsumoto said in July the release is an achievement, but it was an initial step in the decommissioning process. .The Japanese government and TEPCO said the water will be treated and diluted with seawater to levels safer than international standards. .To start off, Matsumoto said TEPCO plans to release 7,800 tons of treated water in the first round, adding the idea is not to rush it and minimize environmental impact. It aims to release 31,200 tons of the treated water by the end of March, which would empty 10 tanks at the site. .The pace will pick up later. The seawater and marine life will be tested, and the results will be disclosed on government and TEPCO websites.
