Japan’s Kishida To Visit Fukushima Plant Before Deciding Date To Start Controversial Water Release

TOKYO, Japan – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday that he would visit the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima nuclear facility before announcing a release date for the plant’s cleaned radioactive wastewater as his administration works to increase acceptance of the controversial plan at home and abroad.

“The government has reached the final stage where we should make a decision,” Kishida told reporters in Washington on Friday after concluding his summit with US and South Korean leaders at Camp David, the American presidential retreat.

Since the government announced the release plan two years ago, it has been met with considerable criticism from Japanese fishing organizations, concerned about further damage to their seafood’s reputation as they recover from the catastrophe. Concerns have also been expressed by South Korea and China groups, turning the situation into a political and diplomatic crisis.

According to the government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., the water must be removed to create a place for the plant’s decommissioning and to prevent unintentional leaks from the tanks because much of the water is still contaminated and requires additional treatment.

The release “cannot be postponed,” according to Kishida.

Japan has received IAEA cooperation to promote transparency and trust and verify that TEPCO’s strategy satisfies international safety requirements. The administration has also increased its domestic and foreign efforts to promote the plan’s safety.

In a final report issued in July, the IAEA found that the TEPCO plan, if carried out exactly as planned, will have negligible impact on the environment and human health, urging Japan to proceed.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday that he would visit the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima nuclear facility.

While seeking clarification from the fishing community, the administration has also sought to explain the strategy to South Korea 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.

Kishida stated that outreach efforts are progressing, but he did not specify a start date for the water release, which is widely expected to begin at the end of August. He stated that the decision will consider safety precautions and steps to protect the fisheries’ reputation. According to Japanese media, his ministers will select next week’s meeting date.

“Before making a final decision, I want to have a first-hand look on the ground to see if the utmost safety measures are taken for the release, and if everyone involved is committed with a strong sense of responsibility for the project,” Kishida said.

He also stated that he wants to ensure that TEPCO executives share a strong commitment to the plant’s decommissioning and the rehabilitation of Fukushima.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday that he would visit the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima nuclear facility.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s cooling systems were devastated by a large earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, causing three reactors to melt and polluting their cooling water, which has since seeped constantly into reactor basements and mixed with groundwater. The water is collected, filtered, and stored in approximately 1,000 tanks, which will be full by early 2024.

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, except tritium, which the government and TEPCO claim is safe for people in small doses.

Scientists generally agree that the environmental impact of the treated wastewater would be negligible, but some argue that more attention should be paid to the dozens of low-dose radionuclides that remain in it, claiming that data on their long-term effects on the environment and marine life is insufficient and that the water needs to be closely monitored.

SOURCE – (AP)