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April 13, 2021 The Japanese government led by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, has given the green light to the release into the sea of ​​the contaminated water stored around the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, where the worst accident occurred following the tsunami of 11 March 2011 nuclear power after Chernobyl.

Tepco, the electricity company that owns the plant, has planned to dump the contaminated water stored at the plant into the sea within two years. 



The issue, discussed for many years, concerns the contaminated water used daily for cooling the reactors, which is then subjected to a complex treatment to remove the radioactive isotopes.

Unfortunately, however, it has not yet been possible to eliminate tritium, which is harmful to humans if taken in large doses.

So for years this water has been accumulated in large tanks that now surround the plant. 



Just over 1,000 tanks have accumulated in the area adjacent to the plant and according to the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the tanks will reach their maximum capacity by the summer of 2022. Each day, around 140 tons are produced. of this water.

Overall, the water stored in the tanks had exceeded 1.23 million tons last October.



A special commission set up at the Japanese Ministry of Economy and Industry in February last year concluded that disposal at sea after treatment is a "realistic option", because contamination levels would not be of concern.



Tritium-containing water is usually released into the ocean from nuclear facilities around the world.

The guidelines for this operation require this water to be diluted to one seventh of the limit recommended for drinking water by the World Health Organization.

In February last year, during a visit to the plant, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (Aiea), Rafael Grossi, admitted that the release of water into the Pacific Ocean would be in line with international standards of the nuclear industry.



The hypothesis that contaminated water can be disposed of in the sea, however, encounters strong opposition from fishermen in the region who have already had to suffer incalculable damage due to the Fukushima accident.

The National Association of Fishermen's Unions last year made it clear: "We are absolutely opposed to the release (of the water), which would meet with no understanding from the people."



The Japanese executive said it intends to launch a dialogue to identify how to mitigate any impacts on fishing and clarified that Tepco will have to provide compensation where the reputation of local products is damaged by the release of contaminated water.



Furthermore, the awaited decision has provoked protests from neighboring countries in recent days.

In South Korea, the governor of Jeju province has threatened to bring Japan to international courts if he proceeds with the plan.



In China, the Foreign Ministry, through the mouth of spokesman Zhao Lijian, said that Japan should "immediately make available in a voluntary, precise, stringent, accurate, open and transparent manner all related information and make prudent decisions after full consultation with neighboring countries ".