Japanese Environmental Minister Yoshiaki Harada says that the countries only choice may be to dump contaminated water from Fukushima into the Pacific because they no longer have room to store it. It has been eight years since the reactors at the Fukushima power plant melted down.
The Fukushima reactors were compromised on March 11, 2011 after an earthquake in the area. Three of the reactors melted down, resulting in the release of radioactive materials into the air and causing more than 100,000 people to be evacuated.
The contaminated water is from the tens of thousands of gallons of water that Tokyo Electric have been pumping into the nuclear reactors to keep them cool. After the water was pumped in was contained and put into storage, however, the island nations is running out of places to store it any longer.
Harada may have had a firm stance on the issue saying that there are “no other options.” However, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga quickly came out to clarify the situation, “There is no fact that the method of disposal of contaminated water has been decided. The government would like to make a decision after making thorough discussion.”
There are growing concerns over the potential dumping of contaminated water into the ocean by neighboring countries like South Korea and China.
In a South Korean ministry press release, they say, “The South Korean government is well aware of the impact of the treatment of the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the health and safety of the people of both countries, and to the entire nation.”
South Korean government minister for environmental affairs, Kwon Se-jung, has already extended an olive branch, and met with Japanese officials at the embassy in Seoul. He suggests the two countries work together to make sure the contaminated water doesn’t get into our oceans.
