Fish streaming, study trips and inspections: Japan is trying to calm the controversy before its highly controversial discharge into the ocean of water from the damaged Fukushima power plant.
The Japanese authorities are facing a massive problem, while the Fukushima Daiichi power plant (northeast of the country), ravaged by the triple disaster earthquake-tsunami-nuclear accident of March 2011, produces some 100,000 liters of contaminated water every day. .
So much so that approximately 1.33 million tonnes of this water, from rain, groundwater or injections needed to cool the cores of nuclear reactors that melted in 2011, are now stored on the site of the central, soon to reach saturation.
The operator Tepco and the Japanese government want to discharge – after treatment and dilution with seawater – this water into the ocean one kilometer from the coast, via an underwater conduit built for this purpose.
Filtration removes most of the radionuclides it contains from the water, with the exception of tritium, and they claim that it will be no different from water routinely discharged from other nuclear power plants, a point view shared by some experts.
“It is likely that no impact on the environment or human health will be observed,” said Tony Hooker, senior lecturer at the Center for Radiation Research at the University of Adelaide, judging the Japanese project “solid”. .
For Jim Smith, professor of environmental science at the University of Portsmouth, fears about risks to the ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean “are not based on scientific evidence”.
The Japanese government and Tepco nonetheless face lingering concerns and criticism, with some pointing to mistakes made in the 2011 crash as grounds for mistrust.
The organization Greenpeace was thus one of the most critical voices against this project, accusing the government of having “minimized the risks of radiation”.
Japan’s neighbors from China to Pacific nations have also expressed concern and local fishing communities fear their years of efforts to restore consumer confidence will be undone.
In an attempt to change public opinion in and outside Japan, the Japanese government spared no effort, inviting delegations and the media to the Fukushima power plant, where they were able to stop in front of treated and diluted water where fish swim – an experiment broadcast on YouTube.
Technical briefings were also held for neighbors like South Korea, but Tokyo said invitations to China went unanswered.
The key element of this Japanese campaign is undoubtedly the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which approved the release and will monitor its implementation.
The nuclear policeman, whose chief Rafael Grossi is currently visiting Japan, said on Tuesday that the Japanese project “meets international safety standards” and will have a “negligible impact on the population and the environment”.
The IAEA’s endorsement “can reassure not only the Japanese people, but also the international community. It’s the gold standard,” Shinichi Sato of Japan’s foreign ministry told AFP.
The rejection remains controversial, however, with Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna calling last month for “more time and an abundance of precautions”.
And while Seoul has tempered its opposition in favor of warming diplomatic ties with Tokyo, salt prices have soared in South Korea in recent weeks amid fears of contamination.
For the fishermen, who have endured years of suspicion despite extensive testing of their catches, “damage to the reputation (of their products) is the biggest concern,” a spokesman for the fishing industry told AFP. Fukushima Fisheries Cooperative Federation.
“There are still concerns both at home and abroad … and we want the government to do more,” he added.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry says it understands that the rejection, which is expected to span decades, “requires a lot of explanation. And we are ready to do that,” said Sato.
05/07/2023 05:48:20 – Tokyo (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
