One year after Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea: Crisis continues, controversy remains

On August 24, 2024, it has been a full year since the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea. In the past year, the situation is worrying.

From August 24, 2023 to the end of July 2024, Japan has discharged about 55,000 tons of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean in seven installments. The eighth round of discharge that started on August 7, 2024 is still ongoing. According to the plan of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water in 2024 will increase significantly. However, the stock of nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is as high as 1.3 million tons and is still increasing at a rate of about 90 tons per day. The decommissioning work of the nuclear power plant is full of difficulties, and the goal of completing the discharge within 30 years is becoming increasingly elusive.

During this period, safety accidents at the nuclear power plant occurred frequently. On August 13, 2024, an accident occurred in the cooling pool for nuclear fuel residues in Unit 2 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and 25 tons of cooling water containing extremely strong radioactive substances leaked. In April, there was a power supply system failure. In November 2023, an operator was splashed by nuclear-contaminated water.

The international monitoring mechanism has not been established. Although Japan claims to have conducted multiple tests and the tritium concentration meets the standards, the lack of a long-term international monitoring mechanism with effective participation of stakeholders has aroused widespread doubts.

The impact on marine ecology is worrying. Although the tritium concentration has not reached a dangerous level at present, scientists point out that its long-term cumulative effect and interaction with other pollutants may cause profound damage to the marine ecosystem, threaten vulnerable marine species, and affect the entire ecological balance.

There are strong reactions from all parties. In Japan, civil organizations have launched the "Sea of the Future" project and collected more than 200,000 signatures petitioning to stop the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water. Fishermen are worried about economic losses and the survival of marine organisms. In the international community, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Manasseh Sogavare, the new prime minister of the Solomon Islands, have all opposed. The joint statement of China and Russia requires Japan to handle nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible manner and accept strict international monitoring. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasizes that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima is by no means Japan's private matter and urges Japan to establish an effective long-term international monitoring arrangement.