Japanese Government to Discharge Treated Water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into Ocean - China and Other Countries React

The Japanese government is expected to obtain regulatory approval for its plan to discharge about 1 million cubic meters of treated water stored in tanks at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean. The release has been controversial in neighboring countries, including China.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mikhail Grossi is scheduled to visit Japan from April 4 to submit a comprehensive report to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that includes an assessment of the safety of the ocean discharge process, and to meet with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and other officials. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has also begun pre-use inspections of the release facilities and is making final confirmations.

The safety assessments by the IAEA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are likely to support TEPCO's plan to release the water into the ocean. The Japanese government has described the offshore release as a necessary step in decommissioning the plant, which was destroyed by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Japan has assured other countries of the safety of offshore discharge and explained that it is in line with industry practice. It says this is necessary because about 1,000 storage tanks will be full in early 2012. But despite Japan's diplomatic efforts, the release plan has complicated relations with some countries.

Ocean Discharges Are Common
The Japanese government has disclosed data showing that tritium discharges from nuclear facilities are widespread at nuclear facilities around the world.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last month that the sea is "not Japan's private sewer," and warned that ocean discharges pose a risk to neighboring countries and Pacific island nations. In South Korea, demand for sea salt has surged as consumers hoard sea salt amid fears that ocean pollution from the release will affect future supplies.

Although the South Korean government has not publicly opposed the release plan, 84% of respondents to a poll conducted in May by the Yomiuri Shimbun and the South Korean newspaper the Korea Daily said they were opposed. The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), a group of 18 countries including Australia and Fiji, has called on Japan to consider alternatives to offshore discharge and called for further discussion on the risks.

The Japanese government has not yet set a specific date for the start of the discharge and will continue discussions with local residents, including fishermen, to allay their concerns. Natsuo Yamaguchi, the leader of the New Komeito Party, said on April 2 that "it would be best to avoid the upcoming bathing season," the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its morning edition on April 3.