Japan continues to provide science-based information for the handling of ALPS treated water

I would like to address some concerns regarding the ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water.

On July 4, 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the world’s authority on nuclear-related issues, published the Comprehensive Report on the Safety Review of the ALPS Treated Water at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which presents the findings of a nearly two- year review conducted by the IAEA and independent international experts based on scientific evidence. The report states that Japan’s plans to discharge the ALPS treated water into the sea and associated activities are consistent with relevant international safety standards, and the discharge will have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.

The water to be discharged is “ALPS-treated water,” which has been sufficiently purified by Advanced Liquid Processing System until the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium is below the regulatory standard, and then is further diluted before it is discharged. It is not “contaminated wastewater” or “nuclear-contaminated water” as was sometimes wrongly described. Tritium is a radioactive material which exists in the natural world, and you can find it in rainwater and also in the human body, but is not accumulated in the body and is excreted with water.

Japan has provided information to the international community in a transparent manner based on scientific evidence, with an emphasis on providing sufficient data. The positive recognition and support in the international community for Japan’s efforts and its commitments and the IAEA’s scientific review are currently spreading. Many countries including the US, UK, Australia, NZ, the Cook Islands and the ROK officially welcomed the IAEA’s Comprehensive Report.

Nevertheless, there are some who questioned the IAEA Comprehensive Report. I believe this is evidence of their disregard for science and such moves will only hamper global cooperation in utilizing nuclear energy and jeopardize international cooperation to ensure its safety. A spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China once said that “the study of origins is a scientific matter that should be conducted jointly by scientists all over the globe and should not be politicized” in response to criticism of the WHO-China joint study of the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Japan has exactly done this about ALPS treated water – leave the issue to the scientists to solve. China, which has been refusing to accept the IAEA’s scientific assessment and politicizing the issue to make unfounded criticism of Japan, should take responsibility for its own words.

In addition, Japan has fully explored and evaluated the alternatives to ocean discharge to ensure that the ALPS-treated water is handled in a scientific, safe and transparent manner. Japanese experts have had comprehensive discussions on appropriate methods of handling ALPS-treated water for more than six years. They concluded that the discharge into the sea can be most reliably implemented because it is commonly practiced in nuclear facilities around the world, and the discharge into the sea can be most accurately monitored. The IAEA also notes that the discharge into the sea is “technically feasible.” Director General Grossi made it clear that there is no better alternative to discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea.

In more detail, we will manage the annual discharge volume of tritium so it will not exceed 22 trillion Bq, which is equivalent to the target discharge management value for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station before the accident. It is worth noting that other countries also discharge tritium into the sea in compliance with their own domestic laws and regulations; for instance, according to China Nuclear Energy Association website, China, discharging 112 trillion Bq from Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), 102 trillion Bq from Ningde NPP, 90 trillion Bq from Hongyanhe NPP in 2021. The amount of tritium in the ALPS-treated water is far smaller than the amount of tritium discharged from many nuclear power plants and other facilities in other countries.

In addition, China argues that a nuclear power plant which has experienced an accident is different from those in normal operation, and should be handled differently. The IAEA standards, however, apply to all nuclear facilities, regardless of whether they have experienced an accident or not and, based on those standards, the IAEA’s comprehensive report is leading to the conclusion that human and environmental impact is negligible.

Japan’s plans to discharge ALPS-treated water were criticized by a certain nation for disregarding international laws protecting the marine environment. However, it is worth considering that a certain nation’s activities in the South China Sea, in violation of a 2016 arbitral award, poses a threat to the marine environment and undermines the rule of law.

At the end of day, all the questions should be left to scientists and nuclear experts to draw a conclusion that can stand the test of scientific evidence and facts. The information and experience gained in this long and difficult process of decommissioning nuclear power plant, which is being carried out in full cooperation with the IAEA, will be shared to help solve similar problems that the world may face in the future. We hope to gain the understanding and support of the international community.

Having gone through unprecedented hardships since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Government of Japan will continue to provide the necessary information in a transparent manner in close collaboration with the IAEA and will continue efforts to gain further understanding from the international community, while scientifically refuting politically motivated opinions.

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Koshikawa Kazuhiko is the Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines.