Fukushima nuclear plant will start releasing treated radioactive water to sea as early as Thursday
The Japanese government says treated and diluted radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will be released into the ocean as early as Thursday
TOKYO — The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will start releasing treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean as early as Thursday — a controversial step that the government says is essential for the decades of work needed to clean up the facility that had reactor meltdowns 12 years ago.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave the final go-ahead Tuesday at a meeting of Cabinet ministers involved in the plan and instructed the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, or TEPCO, to be ready to start the coastal release Thursday if weather and sea conditions permit.
Kishida said at the meeting that the release of the water is a key step in the plant decommissioning and Fukushima prefecture’s recovery from the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami disaster.
He said the government has done everything for now to ensure the plan's safety, protect the reputation of Japan's fishing industry and clearly explain the scientific basis of the move. He pledged that the government will continue those efforts until the end of the release and decommissioning, which will take decades.
“The government will take responsibility until the disposal of ALPS-treated water is completed, even if it takes several decades," Kishida said.
In Seoul, Park Ku-yeon, first vice minister of South Korea’s Office for Government Policy Coordination, told a briefing that officials confirmed Japan would discharge the wastewater in line with its initial plan.
If it does not stick to the plan, Park said, South Korea will request Japan to immediately stop the
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