Bbc japan nuclear water

Japan has begun releasing treated radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean - 12 years after a nuclear meltdown.

Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Some 1. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting. Mr Kishida had visited the plant on Sunday, prompting speculation the release was imminent. The government has said that releasing the water is a necessary step in the lengthy and costly process of decommissioning the plant, which sits on the country's east coast, about km miles north-east of the capital Tokyo.

Bbc japan nuclear water

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The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Mr Kishida had visited the plant on Sunday, prompting speculation the release was imminent. American professor Emily Hammond, an expert in energy and environmental law with George Washington University, bbc japan nuclear water, said: "The challenge with radionuclides such as tritium is that they present a question that science cannot fully answer; that is, at very low levels of exposure, what can be counted as 'safe'?

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A UN watchdog has said that Japan's plan to release waste water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea complies with international standards. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the release will have a "negligible" impact on the environment. The Fukushima facility is running out of storage space for the water, which was used to cool nuclear reactors. Japan's plan has been opposed by China and South Korea. Tokyo has not announced a schedule for the release and the plan still needs approval from a regulator. In , a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9. It is regarded as the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Bbc japan nuclear water

Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Some 1. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting.

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Japan has been collecting and storing the contaminated water in tanks for more than a decade, but space is running out. Experts say the waste water could be carried by ocean currents, particularly the cross-Pacific Kuroshio current. The message from experts is, overwhelmingly, that the release is safe - but not all scientists agree on the impact it will have. Anxiety and anger over Fukushima nuclear waste plan. Environmental activists have protested against Fukushima nuclear plant's waste water release into the ocean. If Japan was able to remove all radioactive elements from the waste water before piping it into the ocean, perhaps it would not have been so controversial. Many scientists argue if levels of tritium are low, the impact is minimal. Tokyo has previously said the water that will be released into the Pacific Ocean, which has been mixed with seawater, has tritium and carbon 14 levels that meet safety standards. More on this story. Since the disaster, power plant company Tepco has been pumping in water to cool down the reactors' fuel rods.

Japan has begun its controversial discharge of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking protests in the region and retaliation from Beijing. China is the biggest buyer of seafood from Japan, and on Thursday it said it would block all such imports.

Experts also note that the contaminated water is being released into a massive body of water, the Pacific Ocean. Japan is releasing waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean after receiving a green light from the IAEA. Image source, EPA. But many people, including fishermen in the region, fear that discharging the treated water will affect their livelihoods. In , a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated Beijing's objection on Tuesday, adding it would take "necessary measures to safeguard the marine environment, food safety and public health". Image source, Getty Images. What are the concerns over Fukushima water release? Japan is "putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being of all humankind" with the release of waste water, Mr Wang said. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. But some scientists say we cannot predict the impact of releasing the water. Some media commentators believe this could be a political move, especially as experts say there is no scientific evidence backing concerns around seafood, as the radiation released is so low. The entire process will take at least 30 years.