Nine years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan reportedly will dump over one million tonnes of contaminated water into the sea. A move that could spark outrage from neighboring countries and the wider international community. (1)

The Fukushima meltdown was the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1985. Almost 20,000 people died or disappeared after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake sparked one of Japan’s worst-ever tsunamis. Over 150,000 were displaced with many yet to return home.

All Power Comes With Risks

Reports suggest work to release the contaminated water, currently being stored in more than 1000 tanks, may begin in 2022 taking up to 30 years to complete. An official decision could come by the end of October and will end years of debate over how to dispose of the water, Kyodo news agency said. (2)

Other options included evaporation or the construction of additional storage tanks at other plants. However, the Japanese government indicated it prefers the option to release the water into the Pacific ocean.

Dismayed by the news, local fishermen say it will undo years of tireless work rebuilding their industry. South Korea still bans the import of seafood from the region. Hiroshi Kishi, president of JF Zengyoren, a nationwide federation of fisheries cooperatives, stated, “We are dead against a release of contaminated water to the ocean as it could have a catastrophic impact on the future of Japan’s fishing industry”. (3)

Impacts To The Food Supply

After the original contamination leak, private and government agencies monitored imported or locally caught seafood off the west coast of Canada and the U.S. They detected trace amounts of radiation had traveled across the Pacific. However, the Food and Drug Administration found no evidence that radionuclides from the Fukushima incident in food or drinking-water supply would pose a public health concern. A statement was issued indicating high confidence in the safety of seafood products in the U.S. (4)

Cover-Up

Fukushima’s Daiichi power plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has acknowledged the disaster could have been avoided. Safety improvements required before the tsunami had failed to be implemented – something the company previously denied. An independent panel of experts released a damning report challenging the claim that the company could not have foreseen the series of events that caused the triple meltdown. It criticized years of collusion between Tepco, industry regulators, and politicians. (5)

Olympic Games

With Japan’s Tokyo Olympic Games now scheduled to take place next summer, Fukushima has been chosen to host some events. Baseball and softball matches will take place at the Azuma baseball stadium, around 70km north of the ruined power plant.
Government officials insist the area is safe, giving assurances to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Greenpeace International, however, have voiced concerns after stating high-level radiation hot spots were found at the sports complex where the torch relay will begin. (6)

Work to release the water stored in contamination tanks involves diluting it with seawater before being released into the ocean. The overall process could take 30 years to complete. Decommissioning the power plant is expected to take close to 40 years.