Fukushima: Japan dumps water from nuclear power plant into ocean despite protests

Twelve years later, Japan is still coming to terms with the second-worst nuclear disaster in its history. On Thursday, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant began releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.

The measure is part of a plan to dismantle the nuclear power plant where, in 2011, due to power cuts following an earthquake and tsunami, three nuclear reactors melted down. Japan now plans to release 7,800 tons of water in the next 17 days. By March of next year, the total will have risen to 31,200 tons, and the pace will accelerate even more.

The water was treated to purify it of all radioactive material, except tritium, and then diluted with seawater. "Because the water satisfies safety standards before it is discharged and the total amount discharged is also controlled, there is no concern about effects on human health or the environment," Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

The Japanese government approved the plan to decommission the nuclear power plant two years ago. The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave the green light last month. "IAEA experts are there on the ground to serve as the eyes of the international community and ensure that the discharge is being carried out as planned consistent with IAEA safety standards," Rafael Mariano Grossi, the agency's director general, said in a statement. Grossi also explained that they had developed a website where citizens can consult live information about the controlled release:

"TEPCO would like to deeply apologize for the great burden and inconvenience that it has caused on the people of Fukushima, and the whole of society," the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said in an apology.

The United States also supported the plan, with Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel even telling local media that he will visit Fukushima at the end of the month. His trip will include eating locally caught fish and taking tour a seafood market, as well as meeting with local authorities.

Disgruntled neighbors

China is not happy with the release of this water. On the same day that the dump commenced in Fukushima, China's General Administration of Customs announced that it was banning the import of all aquatic products from Japan. The goal: "To comprehensively prevent radioactive pollution risks caused by Japan's discharge of the contaminated wastewater, protect the health of Chinese consumers and ensure the safety of food imports," according to the official Xinhua news agency.

"Japan should not inflict further damage on its people and the world out of its selfishness," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement picked up by the South China Morning Post. "There is no evidence that the purification equipment is reliable in the long term, and there is no evidence that the pollution data is accurate. There is no evidence that the discharge into the ocean is safe for the marine environment and human health."

South Korea's main opposition party also expressed discontent, with protests intensifying following the Korean government's support for the Japanese plan. The public also seems to be worried: 62% said in a Media Research poll shared by Reuters that they would abandon or cut back on their seafood consumption when the release began.

Within hours of the start of the dump, South Korean police detained at least 16 protesters who tried to enter the Japanese Embassy. JapanToday reported that there were about 50 people gathered around the building.

"Not only are fisheries against it, but there are also a considerable number of people opposing it and the sentiment exists both domestically and internationally," said Katsunobu Sakurai, former mayor of Minamisoma, a city about 30 kilometers from Fukushima. Sakurai also claimed in conversation with Japan Times that operations were not the road to recovery, but the "complete opposite."