Japan PM says wastewater release from Fukushima nuclear plant 'can’t be delayed'

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday that the mass disposal of wastewater stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant cannot be delayed further. Speaking at his first visit to the facility since taking office, Kishida ensured residents about their safety concerns as he stressed the technical safety of the wastewater disposal project. Fukushima Daiichi, a now disabled nuclear plant has been out of commission since a major earthquake, followed by a Tsunami, caused a nuclear accident on 11 March 2011.

The devastating accident was rated Level 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale and had elevated concerns for Japan after 940 PBq (I-131 eq) radioactive releases gripped the island country for five to six days, according to reports. 

Releasing contaminated water into Pacific Ocean 'only solution' 

While there were no deaths or cases of radiation-related sicknesses reported following the major accident, Japan had to evacuate 100,000 people from their homes as a preventive measure. The Japanese Prime Minister’s recent visit was requested by the operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings that sounded concerns about the radioactive water stored after the decommissioning of the plant. The Japanese government and TEPCO, announced a collaborative plan of releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023, in April this year. 

(Contaminated wastewater fills more than 1,000 tanks at the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Image: AP)

"I felt strongly that the water issue is a crucial one that should not be pushed back," Kishida told Japanese reporters after his tour to the plant. Furthermore, he added, that his administration will address the safety concerns around the waste water disposal that the local fishing and other industries fear might impact them. 

Japan’s plans of releasing the stored water at the Fukushima nuclear plant have met with strong condemnation from fishermen, residents and neighbouring nations, including China and South Korea. Last week, more than 30 South Korean activists protested Japan's decision in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, demanding the blockade of Tokyo's mass release of contaminated water from the country's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. "The Japanese government should immediately cancel the plan to release the contaminated water," one of the many placards at the demonstrations read as controversy mounted. 

Meanwhile, Japan's industry minister Koichi Hagiuda pledged to enable the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear plant, as he told reporters that his ministry will make its “best efforts” to release treated radioactive water from the facility hit by a massive earthquake. Hagiuda made a trip to the Fukushima No. 1 complex ahead of the Prime Minister's visit and vowed a recovery of the area as a top priority as he held talks with Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori. 

While Tokyo has managed to pump the water from basements and store it in about 1,000 tanks, the authorities say that the capacity is likely to run out by the next year. Japan says that the release of the water is the only realistic solution, and has also asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to assist with the process to ensure that the mass release met the global safety standards. 

(Inside a giant decontamination facility at the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant, workers in hazmat suits monitor radioactive water. Image: AP)

The decontamination process of the plant's nearly 1.2 million tons of still-radioactive water was earlier reviewed by The Associated Press. The agency reported that the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, has pumped the contaminated water to a complex of about 1,000 temporary storage tanks that now exceedingly crowd the plant's grounds. It added, that some more tanks are still being built at the site.