Fumio Kishida, Japanese Prime Minister, on a visit to the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima nuclear facility, stated that the imminent release of treated radioactive effluent into the Pacific Ocean cannot be postponed. He stated that the relocation is safe, but that his administration will do everything possible to protect fishing communities from the potential impact of negative rumors during the decades-long endeavor.
Kishida visited wastewater filtering and dilution facilities on Sunday and spoke with plant and company leaders. He informed that he had confirmed their commitment to carrying out the planned water discharge in a safe manner. To create a place for new facilities required for the decommissioning process, treated water must be disposed of and tanks removed.
Kishida stated that the water release is a long-term effort and that he understands the need of acknowledging the concerns and demands of local fishing groups. “I hope to directly convey the government’s position to the fisheries representatives,” he said.
Since the government announced the release plan two years ago, it has been met with considerable criticism from Japanese fishing organizations, which are concerned about further damage to their seafood’s reputation as they work to recover from the catastrophe. Concerns have also been expressed by groups in South Korea and China, turning the situation into a political and diplomatic crisis.
While seeking clarification from the fishing community, the administration has also sought to clarify the strategy to neighboring countries, particularly South Korea, in order to prevent the problem from interfering with their relationship-building efforts. In the face of escalating Chinese and North Korean threats, Japan, South Korea, and the United States are trying to strengthen trilateral ties.
The cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were wrecked by a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, causing three reactors to melt and polluting their cooling water. The water is collected, filtered, and stored in approximately 1,000 tanks, which will be full by early 2024.
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The water is being treated with an Advanced Liquid Processing System, which can lower the concentrations of more than 60 chosen radionuclides to government-set allowable levels, with the exception of tritium, which the government and TEPCO claim is safe for people in small doses.
Source: abcnews.go.com
