Decided To Dump Fukushima Radioactive Water Into The Sea, Japanese Government Says There Is No Negative Impact

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - The Japanese government on Tuesday, April 13, decided to release the processed radioactive water collected at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.

According to Kyodonews, the decision was made after assessing the disposal of this water will not have a negative impact on human health or the environment. Although, there are concerns from local fishermen and neighboring countries.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with members of his cabinet, including industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama, to formalize the decision, which came a decade after a major earthquake and tsunami triggered a triple crisis in March 2011.

Japan calls all radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, processed using an advanced processing system (ALPS). The process removes most radioactive materials including strontium and cesium.

However, the processing results still leave tritium, which poses little risk to human health in low concentrations. The processed water stored in the tank at the factory site amounts to more than 1.25 million tons.

"The release of the water will begin in about two years and the whole process is expected to take decades", the Japanese Government said as reported by Reuters.

Later, the water needs to be filtered again to remove harmful isotopes and will be diluted to meet international standards before being released.

"On the basis of strict compliance with established regulatory standards, we chose to release to the oceans", the government said in a statement after the relevant ministers formalized the decision.

Japan argues this is the most realistic and relatively harmless method of disposal. However, the plan has sparked strong opposition and concern in neighboring countries, such as South Korea and China.

Please note that this decision was taken about three months before the postponed 2020 Olympics to be held by Tokyo, with some events planned as close as 60 km (35 miles) from the damaged plant.