Locals Call For Disposal Plans Other Than Ocean Discharge For Treated Water
Four local organizations in northeastern Japan have demanded that treated water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant be disposed of by means other than ocean discharge.
The groups are the consumers cooperative and fisheries cooperative associations of Miyagi Prefecture, and the consumers cooperative unions of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.
They submitted a petition with more than 179,000 signatures collected since last June to the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Company and the industry ministry.
At the plant, water is used to cool molten nuclear fuel. It mixes with rain and groundwater that flows into damaged reactor buildings.
The water is then treated to remove most of the radioactive materials, but still contains tritium and other radioactive substances. The government decided on a plan last April to discharge the treated water into the ocean after diluting it to levels below national limits starting around spring 2023.
The board chairperson of the Miyagi Consumers Cooperative Association, Fuyuki Katsuhito, said the current plan has failed to earn public understanding. He said unfounded rumors about the 2011 nuclear accident remain and that imports of Miyagi fishery products have been restricted by nearby countries. He objected to marine discharge of the treated water, saying it would harm the local economy.