Concerns Over Food Safety Amid Widespread 'Radiation Measurements' Following Japan's Contaminated Water Discharge

Coordination Underway to Start Contaminated Water Ocean Discharge at 1 AM on 24th
Japanese Government to Regularly Monitor Tritium Levels in Nearby Waters
Nationwide Local Governments Strengthen Seafood Inspections

As Japan is reportedly set to begin discharging contaminated water from Fukushima on the 24th, concerns over food safety are also growing. The Japanese government plans to investigate the concentration of tritium in fish caught near the nuclear power plant, anticipating reputational damage. South Korea has also announced plans to strengthen inspections of seafood following the discharge.

According to Kyodo News on the 23rd, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) are coordinating to start releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean as early as 1 p.m. on the 24th.

On the afternoon of the 5th of last month, when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced a report stating that the Fukushima contaminated water discharge plan meets international safety standards, employees were measuring radiation levels in seafood at Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The issue is that anxiety over seafood and other food products is increasing. Previously, Japanese fishermen strongly opposed the discharge of contaminated water, fearing economic damage due to reputational harm.

The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations of Japan (Zenyoren) issued a statement on the 22nd, the day the Japanese government decided to begin ocean discharge, saying, "Our opposition to ocean discharge without the understanding of fishermen and the public remains unchanged," and argued, "Scientific safety and social reassurance are different matters, and scientific safety does not eliminate reputational damage."

In response, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has decided to inspect and publicly disclose water quality in nearby waters once a week after the start of ocean discharge. The Fisheries Agency of Japan will also investigate up to two samples caught within a 10 km radius of the nuclear power plant daily, measuring tritium concentrations and announcing the results within two days.

Domestic local governments are also strengthening seafood inspections amid growing food safety concerns. On the 23rd, Seoul City announced it will conduct daily sample inspections of all types of seafood regardless of origin or species and will disclose the inspection results in real time.

First, seafood distributed at major wholesale markets (Garak Market, Noryangjin Market, and Suhyup Gangseo Auction Market) will undergo daily radiation testing from Monday to Saturday (excluding Sundays, which are holidays). The inspection results will be disclosed in real time on the 'Food Safety Information' website or the 'Seoul Agricultural & Marine Products Corporation' website.

Gyeongnam Province has prepared a focused action plan in response to the Fukushima contaminated water discharge. It plans to conduct daily origin inspections of imported Japanese seafood and expand radiation inspection events with citizen participation from once a month to once a week to alleviate public anxiety. Notably, the citizen-participation seafood radiation inspections will be broadcast live on Gyeongnam Province’s official YouTube channel (Gyeongnam TV).

Meanwhile, as of the end of June this year, the total volume of contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is 1.34 million tons. The contaminated water is expected to be discharged into the ocean over about 30 years at a maximum rate of 500 tons per day. TEPCO plans to release 31,200 tons, which is 2.3% of the total stored contaminated water, in four separate discharges by March next year.

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