Japan plans to start releasing ‘treated’ radioactive water as soon as late August: Report

The Japanese government will start releasing ‘treated’ radioactive water from its tsunami-hit nuclear power plant as soon as late August, Japanese media reported Monday.

The Japanese daily reported that the process to release about 1.3m tones of treated water will start after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida concludes his meetings with US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol next week in the US.

The Japanese leader is expected to brief both leaders to address questions regarding the safety of the water.

The process of releasing the water is expected to take three to four decades to complete.

Japan says the water is safe

Earlier in July, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave its go-ahead to Japanese plans to release water into the ocean, off Fukushima. 

Despite concerns raised by local fishermen and some East Asian nations, including China and Taiwan, the UN nuclear watchdog said the treated water doesn’t pose any threat to marine life.

Following that, Japan’s nuclear regulator last month granted approval for the release of water.

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Reuters reported that the water stored in huge tanks on the site has been filtered through Tepco’s advanced liquid processing system (Alps) to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water.

Concerns raised by nearby nations

Nearby nations, especially China, have raised objections to the Japanese plans, saying the move will contaminate the seafood.

In fact, Chinese and Japanese officials reportedly traded barbs last week during an international nuclear nonproliferation meeting held in Vienna. 

WATCH: Japan set to release contaminated Fukushima water into Pacific, angering China

China raised objections to the IAEA’s report and questioned whether the data analysed by it was accurate.

China earlier had said that if Japan goes ahead with its plans to release the water, it will impose import restrictions on Japanese seafood by strengthening inspection measures.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, members of the civic group and some lawmakers, mainly from the opposition, held protests against Japan. However, the South Korean government backed the IAEA report and supported Tokyo’s plans.

Brief history

In 2011, a deadly earthquake jolted Japan and triggered a devastating tsunami. The massive waves damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant and caused a nuclear meltdown.

To prevent further damage, seawater and boric acid were pumped into the plant, accumulating contaminated seawater.

(With inputs from agencies)