Japanese authorities permit the release of Fukushima water into the ocean

Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - The government said on Friday that Japan's nuclear authorities had approved a plan to dump radioactiv...

Image: Reuters

Berita 24 English - The government said on Friday that Japan's nuclear authorities had approved a plan to dump radioactive material from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power facility into the ocean.

The water, which was used to cool reactors in the wake of the 2011 nuclear tragedy, is being kept in the plant's enormous tanks and, as of July, weighed more than 1.3 million tonnes.

The water will still contain minute amounts of tritium after treatment, but the regulators deemed it safe to discharge it, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

The regulators would conduct extra inspections of the plant's operator, Tokyo Power Electric Company, it was noted.

Apart from tritium, which is difficult to remove, Tepco wants to filter the polluted water to remove dangerous isotopes. After that, it will be diluted and released to make room in the facility and for further decommissioning.

The initiative has faced fierce opposition from the local fishing unions, who are concerned about how it will affect their way of life. South Korea, China, and Taiwan, who are close by, have also expressed alarm.