"Japan's Policy to Discharge Fukushima Nuclear Plant Contaminated Water into the Ocean"

Mainichi Shimbun Report... "2 Years Left Until Tank Capacity Limit"

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where an explosion occurred during the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, on the 26th to tour the site where decommissioning work is underway.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] The Japanese government has decided to discharge treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean after reducing the concentration of radioactive materials, according to a report by the Mainichi Shimbun on the 15th.

According to the report, the Japanese government plans to hold a meeting of relevant ministers to discuss decommissioning and contaminated water countermeasures related to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as early as this month and make a decision.

At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, contaminated water is generated at a rate of 160 to 170 tons per day as rainwater and groundwater mix with circulating cooling water used to cool the molten nuclear fuel inside the reactor, which caused an explosion during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

According to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), as of September this year, the contaminated water stored in tanks amounts to 1.23 million tons, and the capacity of tanks storing the contaminated water is expected to reach its limit by the summer of 2022.

The Mainichi Shimbun anticipated that considering related procedures, it will take about two years until the actual discharge.