Cesium Exceeding Standard Detected in Fukushima Farmed Sea Bream from Japan... "Sales Discouraged"

Japanese Government Plans to Discharge Contaminated Water from Spring to Summer This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Cesium exceeding the standard set by the local fisheries cooperative was detected in sea bass caught in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

According to Japan's Kyodo News on the 7th, the Fukushima Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Association announced that the cesium content, a radioactive substance, in sea bass caught off the coast of Iwaki City was measured at 85.5 Bq (becquerels) per kilogram.

The catch location was 8.8 km away from Iwaki City. The water depth was 75 meters.

This figure far exceeds the shipment standard set by the Fukushima Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011 (50 becquerels of cesium per kilogram). The Japanese government standard is 100 becquerels per kilogram.

The Fukushima Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Association decided to recall all the sea bass caught that day and to refrain from selling sea bass for the time being.

Tokyo Electric Power Company disclosed flatfish being raised in diluted contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on October 17 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the Japanese government announced that most radioactive substances could be removed by purifying contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).

They also announced on the 13th of last month that they plan to discharge the ALPS-purified contaminated water into the sea around this spring or summer. Japan plans to dilute the contaminated water to 1/40th of its domestic regulatory standard before releasing it into the ocean.