IAEA "We neither oppose nor approve Japan's contaminated water discharge... The decision is Japan's"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (second from the left on screen) is inspecting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan last October.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection team, which is verifying the safety of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant's contaminated water discharge plan into the ocean, stated that they will neither oppose nor approve the discharge.

At an online press conference held on the 18th during his visit to Japan, IAEA Director General Ridhi Evrard responded to a question about whether the IAEA might conclude that Japan should not discharge the contaminated water into the ocean by saying, "The IAEA neither approves nor opposes decisions. They are made under the responsibility of each country."

Director General Evrard said, "The decision to oppose or approve projects related to nuclear safety should be made by national regulatory authorities," emphasizing this point.

When asked if there were any alternatives to ocean discharge, he stated, "The review of other options was completed in the past," expressing the understanding that the current inspection activities are conducted upon Japan's technical support request after deciding on the ocean discharge plan.

He explained the IAEA's role as supporting the improvement of nuclear safety regulations in each country according to internationally recognized high safety standards or providing mutual assessments to ensure that sufficient safety measures are in place.

Regarding voices opposing the ocean discharge of contaminated water within Korea or Japan, he emphasized, "Above all else, we will listen very carefully to their concerns."

However, Gustavo Caruso, IAEA Coordinator for Nuclear Safety and Security, responded to a question about whether they have met or plan to meet fishermen's groups or environmental organizations opposing the ocean discharge during this inspection process by saying, "We are scheduled to meet with parties designated by the Japanese government."

He added that the IAEA will evaluate based on its safety standards and later publish a report accessible to anyone. The report on this inspection activity is expected to be released around the end of April.

The Japanese government finalized a plan last April to dilute contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, filtered through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), and discharge it into the ocean starting next spring. The Japanese government refers to the ALPS-treated contaminated water as "treated water."

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has proposed a plan to discharge the water into the sea about 1 km offshore from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant using an undersea tunnel, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan is currently reviewing this plan.

According to TEPCO's explanation, ALPS can remove 62 types of radioactive substances including cesium, but tritium (triple hydrogen) cannot be removed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.