Japan Begins Final Checks Ahead of Fukushima Toxic Water Release

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Facts

  • On Wednesday, Japan began its final inspections on a system that will release treated radioactive water currently contained at the shuttered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.1
  • On March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi plant's cooling systems were decimated by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami, causing a meltdown of three reactors and a significant release of radiation. The water used to cool the reactors has since been stored in onsite tanks which are expected to max out capacity in early 2024.2
  • The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) installed an outlet to an undersea tunnel that will be inspected by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. If approved and permitted, the tunnel will release more than 1M tons of treated water 1km off the coast of Japan into the Pacific.3
  • While a release date hasn't been set, a successful inspection could enable the permit to release water a week later. News of the planned release has been met with protests from the public and the local fishing industry, who have expressed concerns about safety and potential damage to the industry's reputation.4
  • On May 29, ahead of the Nuclear Regulation Authority inspections, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived at Fukushima Daiichi to conduct a final review. The team, consisting of experts from 11 countries, met with administration officials and TEPCO for five days to ensure the release's safety.2
  • China, S. Korea and several Pacific Island countries have expressed concern over the planned release, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning saying the release of "nuclear-contaminated water" has broad consequences and isn't just a "private matter for the Japanese side."5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2ABC News, 3Sky News, 4Independent, and 5FOX News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by FOX News. China, South Korea, and several Pacific Island nations are right to be outraged at this planned release. This toxic water will impact the fishing industry and, more importantly, the marine environment as a whole. Japan should not be allowed to make this decision in isolation, and nothing short of full consultation and agreement between all the countries involved should be required to move forward. This grossly negligent and unfortunate plan cannot be authorized until everyone has had their voices heard.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Nature. Japan has painstakingly planned the slow release of treated water from Fukushima over a 30-year period. Experts remain positive in their belief that contamination of the marine environment will be negligible when compared to the risk of another one-two punch from earthquake and tsunami to the onsite storage tanks. TEPCO has provided assurance that this measure is safe and that the impact will be no more significant than the marine releases made annually by both the Heysham and Sellafield nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom.

Predictions