31-8-2023 (TOKYO) Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has taken action in response to a statement made by Fisheries Minister Tetsuro Nomura. Kishida instructed Nomura to apologize and retract his remarks concerning treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
Earlier in the day, Minister Nomura had referred to the treated radioactive water as “contaminated” while speaking to reporters following a meeting with Prime Minister Kishida. During their discussions, they addressed the evaluation of the water’s condition after its release into the Pacific.
To distinguish it from the contaminated water stored in tanks at the damaged plant site, Japan has been referring to the water being released into the ocean as “ALPS treated water.” ALPS stands for “Advanced Liquid Processing System,” a system designed to remove most radioactive elements from the water, with the exception of tritium, before it is discharged into the ocean as “treated” water.
Prime Minister Kishida expressed his disappointment with Nomura’s remark, stating, “It’s deeply disappointing that he made such a remark. I’ve instructed Minister Nomura to issue an apology as well as retract what he said.” Kishida’s response came when asked for comment on the matter.
Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is challenging to separate from water. As a result, the Fukushima wastewater is diluted until tritium levels fall below regulatory limits. The Japanese fisheries agency conducted tests on fish from the vicinity of the plant, and the results from Saturday indicated that there were no detectable levels of tritium in the fish.
