Japan begins releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean sparking China outcry | CNN

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Japan on Thursday began releasing treated radioactive wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear plant, sparking a fiery tirade from China which described operation as a “selfish and irresponsible act”.

The release is part of a controversial plan that has met fierce objections from many consumers as well as some regional countries, with Beijing leading that criticism.

Japan says discharging the treated water is safe and urgently needed to free up space at the crippled nuclear power plant.

The country started discharging the water after 1 p.m. local time (midnight ET), according to state-owned electricity firm Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The company said it expects to discharge only around 200 or 210 cubic meters of treated wastewater. From Friday, it plans to then continuously release 456 cubic meters of treated wastewater over a 24-hour period and a total of 7,800 cubic meters over a 17-day period.

TEPCO said that the operation would be suspended immediately and an investigation conducted if any abnormalities are detected in the discharge equipment or the dilution levels of the treated wastewater.

It will send a boat later Thursday into the harbor to collect samples to monitor and ensure the discharged treated wastewater meets international safety standards.

Japan’s devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused water within the Fukushima nuclear plant to be contaminated with highly radioactive material. Since then, new water has been pumped in to cool fuel debris in the reactors, while ground and rainwater have leaked in, creating more radioactive wastewater.

The plan to release the water has been in the works for years, with authorities warning in 2019 that space was running out to store the material and they had “no other options” but to release it in a treated and highly diluted form.

While some governments have expressed support for Japan, others have strongly opposed the wastewater release, with many consumers in Asia hoarding salt and seafood amid fears of future contamination.

The US has backed Japan and Taiwan has agreed that the amount of tritium being released should have “minimal” impact.

However, China and the Pacific Islands have been vocal in their opposition, arguing the release could have broad regional and international impact, and potentially threaten human health and the marine environment.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement condemning the move after the release was confirmed.

“Forcibly starting the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores the international public interest,” the ministry said. “What Japan has done is to pass on the risks to the whole world and extend the pain to future generations of humankind.”

“By lining up the nuclear-contaminated water, Japan has also placed itself in the international dock, which will surely be condemned by the international community for a long time,” the statement added.

China’s customs department banned imports of food from Fukushima and nine other regions earlier this summer.

Hong Kong also confirmed this week it will ban food products imported from some parts of Japan following the release of the treated water.

From Thursday, all live, frozen, chilled, dried, or otherwise preserved seafood products, sea salt and unprocessed or processed seaweed will be prohibited from being imported from cities including capital Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba and Tochigi.

The city is Japan’s second largest export market for seafood outside mainland China, according to Reuters news agency.

Despite the backlash, Japan argues its plan is safe.

Over the years, the wastewater has been continually treated to filter out all the removable harmful elements, then stored in tanks. Much of the water is treated a second time, according to TEPCO.

When the wastewater is finally released, it will be heavily diluted with clean water so it has only very low concentrations of radioactive material. It will travel through an undersea tunnel about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) off the coast, into the Pacific Ocean.

Third parties will monitor the discharge during and after its release – including the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA has staff stationed in a newly-opened Fukushima office and will monitor the situation for years to come, it said.