By KAZUKI UECHI/ Staff Writer
July 20, 2023 at 16:39 JST
Rafael Grossi, left, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, submits his agency's final report on the Fukushima water discharge plan to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on July 4. (Koichi Ueda)
Japan’s government met with foreign diplomats on July 19 to state its case for releasing partially filtered radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
Forty-six nations and regions were represented at the online briefing. They included South Korea and China, as well as the territory of Hong Kong.
The planned release this summer of tons of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has drawn concern from Japan’s neighbors. Most radioactive elements can be removed by treatment processes, but tritium will remain.
Also present at the question-and-answer session were officials from the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. TEPCO and government officials cited a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said the plan meets international safety standards.
They noted that the IAEA recently opened an office at the plant. The agency has pledged to have a continuous on-site presence to monitor the discharge.
The water release is a lengthy process and will take decades to complete, as will the plant’s decommissioning.
Japan’s government has pledged full transparency and accountability surrounding the discharge plan. Nevertheless, its neighbors remain opposed.
Hong Kong said it will ban the import of seafood from 10 Japanese prefectures should the water release proceed. China is taking similar steps, pre-emptively stepping up radiation checks to such a level that it appears difficult to continue fresh fish imports from Japan.
Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said diplomats at the meeting asked questions but did not express their opinions. None voiced concern, opposition or support for the plan, the officials said.
Japan regularly updates diplomats about treated water problems. The July 19 briefing was the 122nd of the series, government officials said.
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