Japan’s Kishida “Marine discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima follows international practice”

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida argued that the ocean discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was in accordance with international practice.

According to the Asahi News Network (ANN) on the 14th, Prime Minister Kishida attended the House of Councilors Budget Committee the day before.

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Hirofumi Yanagase (柳ヶ?裕文), chairman of the Japan Restoration Association, said, “The annual amount of tritium emitted from nuclear power plants in China and Korea is several times the annual amount of tritium released from Fukushima (ocean discharge). It is necessary to accurately communicate this fact both domestically and internationally,” he said, asking Prime Minister Kishida for his position.

Prime Minister Kishida said, “The discharge of ‘treated water’ from the Multi-Nuclide Removal System (ALPS) into the ocean in compliance with regulatory standards is in accordance with international practice. The International Atomic Energy Agency also evaluates that it is technically feasible and follows international practice.”

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At the same time, it argued that “many nuclear facilities around the world, including Korea and China, which oppose the discharge of contaminated water into the ocean, are discharging liquid waste containing tritium into the ocean.”

In addition, he said that the marine discharge of polluted water that complied with regulatory standards was “a method of disposal in accordance with international practice, and we will inform (to the international community) that it is polite and easy to understand.”

During the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, contaminated water containing radioactive materials is generated from the reactor building, where the core nuclear fuel (debris) of the decommissioned reactor melted in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident remains.

Japan calls this contaminated water ‘treated water’ by filtering it through ALPS. However, even after purification treatment, it is said that radioactive substances such as tritium (tritium) cannot be removed.

On April 13, 2021, the Japanese government decided to dilute the contaminated water and discharge it into the sea. Since then, it has been decided to start discharging contaminated water in the spring or summer of this year. It plans to mix the contaminated water with water and dilute the concentration of tritium to 1/40 of the standard value before releasing it. This dilution number is at the level of 1500 becquerels (㏃) per liter.

Source: Donga

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