South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo has called on Japan to transparently disclose information about the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the process of which began on Thursday.
Japan must “transparently publish” data on the impact of the Fukushima water spill “for the next 30 years,” the official said.
“I call on the Japanese government to publish information on water discharges in a transparent and responsible manner for the next 30 years,” he said, also denouncing “false information” and demagogy surrounding Japan’s decision, which Seoul publicly supported.
The head of the South Korean government acknowledged that there are no reasons for “excessive concern” because the plan approved by the Japanese authorities, which received the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), should not cause significant damage.
“Although the ideal would be to completely avoid the discharge of contaminated water, experts from all over the world share the opinion that excessive concern of the population is not necessary,” he said.
The remarks came just minutes after Fukushima Daiichi’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), began releasing treated and diluted radioactive wastewater from the nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The operator aims to release 31,200 tonnes of treated water by the end of March 2024, which would empty only 10 of the approximately 1,000 storage tanks, although the rate of discharge is expected to increase later.
Preparations began on Tuesday, after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave final backing at a meeting of ministers involved in the plan, approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Junichi Matsumoto had said that, in the first phase, which should last about 17 days, some 7,800 cubic meters of water containing tritium, a radioactive substance that is only dangerous in highly concentrated doses, would be released.
The release of water begins almost 12 and a half years after the March 2011 nuclear meltdown, triggered by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.
The plan raised concerns among Japanese fishermen’s groups as well as neighboring countries, sparking street protests in South Korea and prompting mainland China and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao to ban imports of some food products from 10 provinces of Japan.
In a statement released about half an hour after the announcement of the start of the downloads, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the decision as “an extremely selfish and irresponsible action that does not take international public interest into account.”
Source: TSF
