The Japanese government announced on Tuesday that treated and diluted radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will be discharged into the ocean from Thursday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave the final go-ahead at a meeting of ministers involved in the plan, directing the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), to finish discharges on Thursday when the time comes. allows.
The release of water begins nearly twelve and a half years after the March 2011 meltdown, triggered by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.
By early 2024, the Fukushima Daiichi plant would run out of space to store about 1.33 million tons of water, from rain, groundwater or injections needed to cool nuclear reactor cores.
Both the Japanese government and TEPCO have warned that the water must be removed to prevent accidental leaks from the tanks.
Despite being approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the plan has raised concerns in neighboring countries, sparked street protests in South Korea and prompted China to ban the import of certain foodstuffs from 10 provinces in Japan.
On Monday, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, argued that dumping the water into the ocean “is not the safest or wisest option”.
“Japan has simply chosen to reduce economic costs. This will create unnecessary risks for neighboring countries and the rest of the world,” Wang complained at a news conference.
Hong Kong on Tuesday announced the imposition of “immediate import control measures” on Japanese products.
“I have immediately instructed the Minister of Environment and Ecology and relevant departments to immediately impose import control measures,” said the leader of the Chinese region’s government.
In a publication on the social network Facebook, John Lee Ka-chiu said the measure serves to “protect food safety and public health in Hong Kong”, which he described as “the government’s top priorities”.
The territory’s president said that “this unprecedented decision and measure” “carries unavoidable risks to food security, as well as pollution and irreversible damage to the marine environment.”
“I strongly object to deliberately imposing my own problems on others,” added John Lee.
In late June, China’s Foreign Ministry committee in Macau criticized Japan’s plan, calling it irresponsible and in violation of international law.
The government of South Korea has conducted several tests to show people that there is no risk of environmental or food contamination from Fukushima discharges.
Source: DN
