The water could be released as early as 2022, much to the disapproval of neighboring countries and environmentalists. A team of experts said all but one radioactive isotopes have been removed from the water.
Image: Reuters/T. Hanai
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The Japanese government plans to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, according to reports published Friday.
The decision ends years of speculation over what to do with the more than one million tons of water that were treated after the power plant was severely damaged and suffered a meltdown due to the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2011.
Japanese Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said no formal decision has been made, but that the government planned to move quickly.
"Decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi plant is a major premise for a restoration in Fukushima from the nuclear disaster. To prevent any delays in the decommissioning process, we need to make a decision quickly," said Kajiyama during a news conference.
The Kyodo news agency said a formal announcement would be made later this month.
Local media has reported that the water could be released as soon as 2022. The water has been stored at the power plant by Tokyo Electric, which operates the plant. It said that it would have no more storage capabilities in 2022, even if it continued building more tanks to store the water.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was damaged beyond repair after the 2011 earthquake and tsunamiImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Yomiuri Shimbun/Y. Nishi
Filtering the water
Tokyo Electric said it has removed most of the radioactivity from the water.
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The filtration system was able to remove all but one of the radioactive isotopes that were found in the water. That final isotope is tritium, which cannot be removed by currently existing technology.
An expert panel said that tritium is only harmful in very large doses. The International Atomic Energy Agency has argued that properly filtered water could be diluted with seawater and be safely released into the ocean.
Diluting the water was another idea that was proposed. The Yomiuri newspaper said dilution would make the isotope 40 times less concentrated, with the entire process taking 30 years.
Fukushima One Year Later # 08.03.2012 20 Uhr # Journal Englisch
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Stiff opposition
The idea to release the stored water has been met by strong disapproval from environmentalists. Farmers and fishermen have also come out against the idea, saying people will continue to reject eating seafood and produce from the region. They said it would undo years of work to repair the region's reputation.
Fishery representatives visited Kajiyama on Thursday to express their displeasure for a potential release of the water.
South Korea, which bans seafood imports from the region, has also voiced its concern about the plan.
Despite the opposition, a panel of experts advising the Japanese government on the matter recommended releasing the water.
Japan still coming to terms with Fukushima
On March 11, 2011, northeastern Japan is rocked by a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami which trigger a nuclear disaster. It will take years to recover from the tragedy.
Image: REUTERS
Inconceivable catastrophe
The triple disaster on March 11, 2011 caused the death of 19,000 people. First, a strong earthquake hit the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami. The natural disasters led to the partial meltdown of numerous reactors at the Daiichi power station in Fukushima prefecture. It was the worst nuclear catastrophe since the tragedy of Chernobyl in 1986.
Image: Reuters/Kyodo
High price
Recent estimates show that the disasters in Fukushima, Japan, are going to end up costing a lot more than previously estimated. In November, 2012 Daiichi plant operator TEPCO disclosed that compensation to the victims and cleanup operations could go up to nearly 100 million euros. The power company estimates that the cleanup of Daiichi could take about 40 years.
Image: Itsuo Inouye/AFP/Getty Images
Super robot
The "Super-Giraffe" has been put to work for cleanup and decontamination operations. The machine measures 2.25 meters by 80 centimeters. It can carry a maximum of 150 kilograms and can reach a length of up to 8 meters with its extendable arm. The remote-controlled robot will be working in areas that are not accessible to humans.
Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images
Everything under control?
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a visit to the plant site around the end of 2012 said the disaster was "an unprecedented challenge," but that the situation was "under control." The Japanese government was heavily criticized after the catastrophe for its crisis management and information policy.
Image: Itsuo Inouye/AFP/Getty Images
Could have done better
Yukio Edano, the chief government spokesman, gave numerous press conferences to keep the public informed in March 2011. The information given, however, underplayed the gravity of the tragedy. Very little hard facts were initially provided at all. This was the conclusion reached in summer 2012 by an independent committee of experts set up by the government.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Cover-up
TEPCO fared even worse according to the committee's inquiry. The utilities company not only tried to deliberately obstruct the investigation but also tried to misinform the public and cover up the actual scale of damage.
Image: picture alliance / abaca
Disaster waiting to happen
Bags full of radioactive waste at an interim storage in Fukushima: Reminders of the March 11 tragedy. TEPCO admitted that it had not been adequately prepared for natural disasters. The company was nationalized in July 2012 to save it from bankruptcy.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
Increased risk of cancer?
A small baby gets his thyroid checked. How great are the long-term health risks? A recent WHO report showed that the risk of cancer was only slightly higher in high emission zones. An international doctors' organization, on the other hand, estimated there would be an additional 80,000 cases of cancer due to the radiation.
Image: Reuters
New playground toys
Emissions are still very strong in some places, even in residential areas. Greenpeace Geiger counters show emissions over 10 microsieverts per hour at a playground in Fukushima at the end of February. At that level, Germany's limit of one milisievert per year would be reached in just four days.
Image: Reuters
Alone in the no-go zone
Naoto Matsumara takes his herd to graze everyday - as if nothing ever happened. But something did change after March, 2011. He is now all by himself - aside from his 50 cows and 2 ostriches. He decided to stay in the exclusion zone around the nuclear plant. Around 160.000 people had to abandon their homes and most of them will never return.
