Japan Press Weekly

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2013 September 4 - 10 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Gov’t intends to discharge toxic groundwater into ocean

The Japanese government published on September 3 a basic policy to address the radioactive water leakage at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It includes a plan to discharge into the Pacific Ocean the groundwater that could be contaminated with radioactive substances.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira made a comment on the issue as follows:

Although this policy highlights the government’s role in dealing with the toxic water leak problem instead of leaving the matter to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), it is only a rehash of conventional measures taken by the administration and TEPCO.

On top of that, it is a matter of grave concern that the government is planning to release into the ocean the groundwater flowing near the storage tank which was found in August to have leaked out more than 300 tons of highly radioactive water.

The Fukushima plant is in an emergency situation in which the radioactive contamination could further spread out due to the continued water leakage. The most pressing need is for the administration to investigate and grasp the state of contamination and explain it to the general public, then to work out drastic countermeasures by bringing together the wisdom of experts inside and outside the country.

Past related articles:
> JCP Shiokawa early criticized flaw of toxic water tanks at Fukushima NPP [August 23, 2013]
> Gov’t should take initiative in stopping toxic water leak at Fukushima: JCP Ichida [August 27, 2013]