Nine years and nine months have gone by since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, which terrorized the world. Since the world had previously witnessed the nightmare of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a repeat of the nightmare for many around the world. The accident, which has been gradually forgotten over time, has recently brought back the attention of the world to Fukushima when the Japanese government announced the consideration of releasing radioactive water into the ocean. The Japanese government, apparently mindful of the opposition from countries and various groups around the world, postponed the final decision from the scheduled October 27 to November. Regardless, the fact that Japan is even considering releasing water contaminated by radiation into the ocean has shocked the world. Let us take a closer look at the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, and why the choice of releasing radioactive water, is drawing so much attention.
1. What Happened on March 12, 2011?
On March 11th, 2011, an earthquake 9.1 magnitude was detected in the Tohoku region of Japan, the largest earthquake ever recorded in the country. The earthquake caused a tsunami in which waves were 15 meters high. Considering that the sea in front of the Fukushima nuclear power plant was only 5 meters tall, it was unavoidable that seawater struck the power plant. As a result, a total of four nuclear reactors at the power plant were submerged in seawater. Nuclear power plants must always be supplied with cooling water to cool the nuclear reactors that have been heated by nuclear fission. However, as the nuclear power plant was flooded, the power that was being supplied to the devices supplying cooling water to the four reactors went out. This caused all the pumps supplying cooling water to stop. As a result, the cooling water was not supplied to the reactors in time, and this led to the four reactors overheating. Eventually, a hydrogen explosion occurred inside the Unit 1 reactor on the same day, and the rest of the reactors overheated and exploded over the next few days. In the case of Unit 3, the internal temperature soaring to 2,800 degrees Celsius led to its explosion on March 12. In this explosion, the internal container was damaged and radiation began to leak. As a result, on May 24, 2012, about a year after the accident, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that the radioactive materials iodine-131, cesium-134, and cesium-137 were released due to this accident. A total of approximately 538.1PBq of radioactive substances were released. In addition, the maximum radioactive exposure for the Fukushima nuclear plant workers was 250 mSv/yr. Compared to the worldwide average annual radiation dose of 2.4 mSv/yr, this is an extremely high rate of radioactive exposure. Due to these high rates, the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident was recorded as Level 7, the most serious level of the accident classes classified by the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES).
2. The Measures Taken and the Current Situation
a. How the Radiation Contaminated Water was Made
The explosion prompted the Japanese government to recognize the seriousness of the situation and deploy seawater to cool the overheated nuclear power plant to act as a coolant. Some criticized the government for pumping seawater into the reactors too late. Since the reactors could no longer be used once injected with unrefined seawater due to the impurities in the water, the government monitored the situation for as long as possible. Eventually, it took belated action. The Tokyo Electric Power Company responded 31 hours after the seawater hit the nuclear power plant.
For many years, seawater has been used as a coolant since the accident, and once exposed to radiation, this seawater is classified as 'contaminated water' as it contains several radioactive materials. To make matters worse, cracks in the building caused underground water to flow into the nuclear power plant during the accident and created additional radioactive water. So far, the contaminated water has been stored separately in a storage facility at the power plant, but Japan claims that there is no more room for storing any more contaminated water since they have been pouring seawater into the Fukushima nuclear power plant for almost 10 years. As of 2020, 1.2 million tons of radioactive water has been accumulated, and is still being produced.
b. Japan Stands at a Crossroads
Japanese Prime Minister, Suga, expressed his intention to release radioactive water into the sea from Fukushima. According to him, there is not enough space at the Fukushima Daiichi plant site to install a new storage tank to store contaminated water. However, even if the claim that no further installation being possible is true, Japan has several options other than releasing contaminated water through marine discharge. Stratum injection, underground burial, steam evolution, and hydrogen evolution are some of the many options. Among these options, marine emission is seen as a move by Japan to protect its economy and interests. First, compared to underground burial, which would cost 620 billion yen (about 6.2 trillion won) to get rid of 800,000 tons of contaminated water, marine emissions cost only 3.4 billion yen (about 34 billion won) to get rid of the same amount. This is 1/18 of the underground burial cost. In addition, the advantage of not having to store radioactive pollutants in Japan is believed to be another reason why the Japanese government is pushing for marine discharge. If the Japanese government decides to implement the marine discharge, it could be seen as Japan's choice of national interest over the safety of the world.
3. What Effect will the Release of the Waters Bring?
So, what kind of consequences does the release of water contaminated by radiation into the ocean bring? Japan said it would release contaminated water by diluting the radionuclides as much as possible using its’ Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). However, it was found that the contaminated water generated at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is still dangerous. Even when using ALPS, it is extremely complicated to separate tritium from contaminated water. Tritium is a dangerous radioactive substance that causes internal health issues that will push out normal hydrogen if accumulated in the body. This will cause a ‘nucleus transition’ in which tritium turns into helium. If this conversion of nuclides occurs in human DNA, it can result in genes being modified, cells being killed, and even reproductive function being degraded. This tritium can be accumulated in the body through food as well as direct exposure. Therefore, most countries have no choice but to oppose the release of contaminated water, as the possibly deadly radioactive substances could flow into their seas if released.
4. The Response Regarding the Dumping of Contaminated Water by Japan
a. Strained Conflicts Within Japan
Public opinion in Japan over the Japanese government's consideration of releasing contaminated water from the nuclear power plant is also divided. Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun conducted a three-day survey on the subject from Oct. 16 to 18. Regarding the Japanese government's position that it would lower the radioactive rates of the contaminated water to below the national standard before releasing it, 41 percent of the respondents supported, and 50 percent opposed. According to the Dong-A Ilbo, fishermen in Fukushima who sustained losses by the nuclear leakage opposed the release of radioactive water. In an interview with one of the fishermen in Iwaki on Oct. 15, he said ‘We can no longer ask other countries to eat Fukushima seafood,’ and expressed concern that the release will not only affect Korea but also the seas of many neighboring countries.
b. China
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Oct. 19, 2020, ‘We hope the Japanese government will carefully decide on measures based on a foundation that has been fully consulted with neighboring countries.’ Spokesperson Zhao also expressed China's concern, saying that Japan should ‘take a highly responsible attitude toward its citizens, neighboring countries and the international community.’ In addition, Liu Junhong, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), raised the need for Japan to share information more transparently with the international community. According to the Global Times, Liu pointed out that the Japanese government should put priority on protecting people's health and safety as well as the environment over the cost of restoring nuclear power plants. He also pointed out that marine discharge would have a serious impact on people’s health as materials in Fukushima's contaminated water would be released into the ocean.
c. South Korea
South Korea had earlier introduced a ‘Seafood Traceability system‘ to minimize the import of seafood contaminated by radiation. Also, it regulates the trade of seafood with Japan. However, if large amounts of contaminated water are released into the ocean, efforts to protect the people from radiation will become meaningless. The problem is even more serious since the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) said that even if there is a trace amount of nuclear material in contaminated water released, there is a possibility that contaminated water will flow towards Jeju Island and the Yellow Sea within a month.
d. Related International Organization- Greenpeace
Looking to the international community, the international environmental group Greenpeace has criticized Japan for trying to reduce the seriousness of the situation. In the report <Stemming the tide 2020: The reality of the Fukushima radioactive water crisis> that was released on October 23, Greenpeace criticized the Japanese government for only emphasizing tritium to reduce the threat of radioactive water, when radionuclides such as carbon-14, strontium-90, cesium, plutonium and iodine, which can damage human tissues, are more dangerous. Greenpeace also called for the Republic of Korea to take an active response and urged the Korean government to prepare for international lawsuits if Japan decides to release contaminated water.
The radiation from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant is putting the world on edge over whether contaminated water will be released into the ocean. On this issue, there are so many pros and cons that even those within Japan view this with a controversial eye. The decision that Japan will make in the future and the process of how it will be carried out will be an important factor. CAH hopes that Japan will make a wise choice to put global security before the country’s own interests.