Japan will release more than a million tonnes of water into the sea from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant this year. According to the Japanese authorities, after treatment, the levels of most radioactive particles meet the national standard.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claims that the proposal is safe, however neighboring countries have voiced concern regarding the decision.
The 2011 Fukushima disaster was the worst nuclear accident since Chornobyl. The plant produces 100 cubic meters of contaminated water, which is a mixture of groundwater, seawater, and water used to keep the reactors cool. It is then filtered and stored in tanks.
According to the operator Tepco, although the water is filtered for most radioactive isotopes, the level of tritium is above the national standard. Furthermore, tritium is very difficult to remove from water and is harmful to humans in large doses.
The neighboring countries and local fishermen have opposed the proposal of releasing radioactive water into the sea. The Pacific Islands Forum has criticized Japan for its lack of transparency.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant met a horrendous disaster when North-eastern Japan was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on 11 March 2011, which then triggered a giant tsunami. The waves hit the Plant, flooding three reactors and sparking a major disaster.
Authorities set up an exclusion zone which grew larger and larger as radiation leaked from the plant, forcing more than 150,000 people to evacuate from the area. The zone remains in place.