Japanese Lawmaker Calls for Conveying Truth About Fukushima Radioactive Water
The radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan’s northeast is totally different from that of a normal nuclear power plant, said Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker Taku Yamamoto, who called on the government to convey the truth to the public. Mr Yamamoto, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, has served as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Mr Yamamoto has long been concerned about the discharge of Fukushima radioactive water. He said on his personal website that according to the data released by the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) on December 24, 2020, even after the radioactive water is treated, it contains not only tritium, but also 12 kinds of other radioactive substances such as iodine 129 and cesium 135 that cannot be removed, some of which have half-lives of tens of thousands of years.
“Equating the treated water from advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) with normal wastewater from nuclear plant is one of the major obstacles to a real solution to the problem,” said the lawmaker.
He called on news outlets to report the issue of releasing the Fukushima radioactive water on the basis of a deep understanding of the differences between the two kinds of wastewater.
“In the reports about the issue of the Fukushima radioactive water, many things do not correspond with the facts. Truth should be told to the people!” he wrote in a magazine.
Mr Yamamoto stressed that while the cooling water of a normal nuclear plant can’t reach the fuel rods, the radioactive water from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is treated from contaminated water that have come into contact with nuclear fuel rods, which are completely different concepts. In his view, the contaminated water of the plant should continue to be stored in tanks at its facility while there is no other options. He cited information provided by TEPCO on August 9, 2019, that the company believed that the wastewater could reduce its tritium by a quarter after 24 years of storage. Moreover, the plant has land available for flexible use, which means more tanks can be placed on the facility.