Japan began on Thursday to dump contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific after being treated to remove most of the radioactive waste. The process, which will last for several decades, continues to generate protests inside and outside the country, especially in China, which today announced that it is suspending imports of Japanese aquatic products "due to the risk of contamination."
The spill began around 1:00 p.m. today (around 5:00 a.m. in Spain) after the last checks were carried out regarding the water pumps and some valves were opened manually, as announced by the company responsible. of the rugged plant, TEPCO. "Each process must be carried out very firmly. Under the guidance of the Government, we will fulfill our responsibility," said Junichi Matsumoto, head of the initiative, at a press conference where he also explained that the spill would stop if any type of anomaly was detected.
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), the operator of the plant, decided to proceed with the dumping this Thursday after making sure that the concentration of radioactive waste was within the stipulated and that there were no irregularities in its systems after the launch today by Korea. of the North of an alleged space vehicle, which caused the momentary activation of the anti-missile alert in the south of the Japanese archipelago.
The dumping of water has begun more than twelve years after the nuclear crisis caused by the earthquake and tsunami that shook this area of Japan in 2011, and it is carried out after undergoing a purification process through a circuit called ALPS ( Advanced Liquid Processing System).
The Japanese Executive decided in 2021 to resort to controlled discharge into the sea as a way to get rid of the contaminated liquid that accumulates in nuclear facilities, where space is running out for the large tanks that store it, and what is considered a fundamental step to the dismantling of the plant.
Contaminated water is treated with the ALPS system, capable of completely removing 62 types of radioactive materials, with the exception of tritium and carbon-14. The dumping process will be supervised by the Japanese authorities and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure that it meets safety standards.
According to what TEPCO said today, after a recent analysis, it would have been verified that the tritium concentration is "far below" the national standard for the discharge to be carried out and "it has been confirmed that it has been diluted as expected". .
After the spill, the company will also send a ship to monitor the area and the water conditions, although it did not specify the time at which this process will begin today and will publish the data in real time on its website for " ensure transparency".
The first discharge will last 17 days and where some 7,800 tons of water will be discharged, however, since the generation of contaminated water cannot be completely stopped in the process of dismantling the plant, it is expected that the discharge last for about 30 years.
The national federation of fishing cooperatives maintains a firm rejection of this plan, arguing that the measure will prevent Fukushima fishermen from being able to rid themselves of the radioactive stigma that has hung over their catches since 2011.
In fact, this same Thursday more than a hundred fishermen and workers in the city sector announced that they will present a lawsuit next month to try to stop the spill. The lawsuit would be filed on the afternoon of September 8 before a local court in Fukushima and is waiting for more workers to decide to join it. "There is not enough safety information and some data is missing that has not been disclosed. Following the protection of the environment, this discharge should not be carried out," added a spokesman for the plaintiffs.
Some sectors of Japanese society, voices of the international scientific community and environmental organizations such as Greenpeace have also positioned themselves against the dumping, which consider the security guarantees presented insufficient, but the toughest opposition is coming from China.
In fact, the Asian giant has already taken action. This same Thursday, it announced that it is suspending the importation of aquatic products of Japanese origin as of August 24, 2023. The measure has been taken "to prevent the risk of radioactive contamination of Japanese aquatic products due to the discharge into the Pacific of contaminated water from of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant", specifies the General Administration of Customs in a statement.
The suspension applies to all aquatic products, including fish, shellfish, molluscs, crustaceans, and algae. According to Chinese Customs, the Chinese government assessed "the risk of radioactive contamination in Japanese aquatic products" and "intensified control measures" for products imported from Japan. For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called Japan "selfish" and "irresponsible" over the spill. According to the Foreign Ministry, it is "a matter of nuclear security whose impact goes beyond the borders of Japan."
Demonstrations against the spill were also organized in Seoul, as in previous days. At least 16 people were arrested in the South Korean capital for trying to break into the Japanese Embassy. The South Korean Police have indicated that those arrested are university students, who had gathered in the building that houses the diplomatic headquarters and tried to enter around 1:00 p.m. (local time), when the spill began, while shouting slogans condemning the spill of water.
