Japan’s nuclear water release will commence in two years. The Japanese government announced its decision to dump treated nuclear waste into the ocean.
The water in question is wastewater leftover from the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant a decade ago. An earthquake offshore ignited a tsunami. After that, the tsunami flooded the shoreline and the power plant. The plant then dumped cooling water into its reactor to prevent the cores from melting. As a result of this, all of the contaminated water now sits housed in large tanks on the site.
Many health organizations and fishermen oppose Japan’s nuclear water release. Japan’s Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, however, promises safety. His office stated, “Before the discharge, the water in tanks will also be diluted so that the concentration of tritium will be much lower than Japan’s national regulatory standards, which is compliant with international standards.”
Neighboring countries, China and South Korea, responded by questioning the safety of Japan’s nuclear water release. South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam directed a statement toward Japan. He said, “If the Japanese government decides to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant without sufficient consultation, it is difficult for us to accept this.”
Meanwhile, Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also made an interesting statement. He said, “It is not like you are going to see the sea glowing in purple or green, and all the fish will be dead, and the Pacific Ocean will be killed. Of course not. This has been done in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, in many parts of the world, and there is no adverse environmental impact whatsoever.”
