I feel compelled to write this piece with regard to the article entitled “Nuclear Waste in the Asia Pacific” written by Mr Muhammad Asif Noor on March 11. I have to point out that the article is based on factual errors and asserts a wrong conclusion.
First of all, the water that Japan plans to discharge into the sea is “ALPS treated water,” which has been sufficiently purified until the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium is below regulatory standards, and will be further diluted before its discharge. Japan will never allow the discharge of “nuclear waste water” or “radioactive water,” as indicated in the article, which does not meet the regulatory standards established in accordance with international standards. Contrary to Mr Noor’s assertion, the water to be discharged is safe and will not adversely affect people’s health and the environment.
Water stored in tanks, which contain radionuclides with concentrations exceeding the regulatory standards at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, will be treated through Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). With this ALPS treatment, the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium in water becomes far below the regulatory standards. The treated water will be further diluted with seawater prior to the discharge, and then the concentration of tritium will be 1/40 of the regulatory standard and 1/7 of the WHO drinking water standard, and the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium will be less than 1/100 of the regulatory standard. Therefore, it is completely untrue that the water to be discharged “contains highly toxic trans-uranium elements and radionuclides which can potentially endanger the habitat across the Pacific Ocean” as stated in the article.
Japan is not of the view that the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea will cause substantial pollution of the marine environment.
Based on the extensive scientific studies conducted to date, Japan is not of the view that the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea will cause substantial pollution of or significant and harmful changes to the marine environment. Nevertheless, as an additional precautionary measure for the protection and preservation of the marine environment, the radiological environmental impact assessment (REIA) was conducted by TEPCO in line with international standards. In the REIA, the possible effect of bioaccumulation and long-term accumulation was fully taken into account. The result of the assessment shows that the impact on humans and the environment would be minimal; the annual radiation impact on humans from the discharged water would be about 0.1% of the radiation dose received from a single dental x-ray. On top of that, it should be noted that, according to the simulation of tritium dispersion conducted by TEPCO as part of the REIA, annual average concentration exceeding the natural background level occurs only within a range of 3 km around the FDNPS. Thus, it is not the case that “there is also the possibility of the radioactive waste reaching other nations” as Mr Noor alleges.
In handling the ALPS-treated water, Japan has been taking measures strictly abiding by relevant international law while giving due consideration to international practice. In order to ensure the discharge plan and related activities will be implemented safely and transparently, the discharge plan, including the abovementioned REIA as well as the domestic regulatory process have undergone a strict review by the Task Force established by the IAEA, the most authoritative and independent organization in the field of nuclear energy. The Task Force is comprised of experts from the IAEA Secretariat and 11 internationally-recognized experts appointed by the IAEA from various countries including our neighbouring countries; Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Marshall Islands, the Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. Their review will continue even after the commencement of the discharge to monitor its safety.
Mr Noor asserts that “Japan should initiate a global dialogue” as if Japan had not been engaged in dialogue with the international community. On the contrary, Japan has been making strenuous efforts in promoting understanding of the international community. It has been providing information based on scientific evidence and facts to the international community and will continue to do so in a highly transparent and timely manner. Specifically, Japan has held briefing sessions for the diplomatic missions in Tokyo and similar meetings at international conferences including those organized by the IAEA in a transparent manner based on scientific evidence, with an emphasis on providing sufficient data.
Japan’s effort to facilitate the understanding of the safety of ALPS-treated water includes more focused meetings for those countries and regions with specific questions and requests. All the data on the safety of ALPS-treated water is available on TEPCO’s website. In addition, the reliability of the data will be corroborated through a review by the IAEA. The IAEA also highlighted Japan’s effective cooperation, which enables it to clearly and promptly convey the results of the review mission to the international community.
The IAEA also reviewed the report made by the Subcommittee on the Handling of ALPS treated Water (the ALPS Subcommittee) in April 2020, which concluded that the discharge into the sea “can be more reliably implemented because it is commonly practised in nuclear power plants around the world, the safety of the discharge facilities has been demonstrated, and the discharge into the sea can be most accurately monitored.” The IAEA noted that “the recommendations made by the ALPS Subcommittee were based on a sufficiently comprehensive analysis and a sound scientific and technical basis” and that the discharge into the sea is “technically feasible.”
Although more than twelve years have passed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, the reconstruction of Fukushima is still on its way. The spread of false information posted on the memorial day of the earthquake by Mr Moor’s article is likely to deepen and prolong the suffering of the local people, who have already experienced unimaginable pain. I hope this article promotes readers’ correct understanding of ALPS-treated water and Japan’s sincere efforts for safety, health, and the environment.
The writer is the Minister/ Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan.