TOKYO (AP) – The Japanese government said on Tuesday it had decided to release large amounts of radioactive water stored in tanks from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant in two years after treatment.
The decision, which has been speculated for years but has been delayed for years over security issues and protests, came on Tuesday at a cabinet meeting of councilors who approved the release as the best option.
Water has accumulated and stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant since its 2011 demolition after a massive earthquake and tsunami, causing cooling water to leak from the damaged reactors.
Its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., says its storage capacity will be full by the fall of 2022.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the cabinet meeting that the government adopted the release at sea as “more realistic” and that the removal of the water is “inevitable to achieve the recovery of Fukushima”.
TEPCO and government officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but the remaining selected radionuclides can be reduced to the levels allowed for release. Some scientists say the long-term impact on marine life due to exposure to low doses to such large volumes of water is unknown.
According to a report from the basic plan adopted by ministers on Tuesday, TEPCO will begin releasing water in about two years after building a facility under the regulatory authority’s safety requirements.