Tomorrow Fukushima Contaminated Water Inspection: Korea-Japan Director-General Level Talks

Discussion Among Directors Before On-Site Inspection on the 23rd-24th

On the 12th, Korean and Japanese authorities will hold a bureau-level working meeting to discuss specific details related to the dispatch of an on-site inspection team to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contaminated water. In this meeting, the Korean and Japanese authorities plan to coordinate the schedule of the Korean expert inspection team, which will conduct the on-site inspection on the 23rd and 24th of this month, as well as the facilities they will visit.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The governments of Korea and Japan plan to hold a bureau-level meeting related to Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water in Seoul on the 12th to implement the agreement made at the Korea-Japan summit."

The Korean side will be led by Yoon Hyun-soo, Director General of the Climate Environment Science Diplomacy Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Japanese side by Kaifu Atsushi, Director of the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Science Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with relevant ministries from both sides participating. The Director General of the Climate Environment Science Diplomacy Bureau and the Director of the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Science Department have exchanged opinions on the Fukushima contaminated water issue through video conferences.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The government is expected to place particular emphasis on verifying Japan’s contaminated water treatment capabilities, including the operation status of the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which is Japan’s contaminated water purification facility, during this inspection.

The experts intend to visit the actual site to closely examine, at a detailed level, whether the ALPS facility is operating properly. Jang Ho-jin, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, appeared on Yonhap News TV the previous day and explained, "You can consider it as going to a site where we can verify whether the facilities and equipment related to contaminated water treatment and marine discharge, as well as the treatment methods, are appropriate."

Through this, the government views that the inspection team will effectively conduct activities close to an independent verification of the safety of the contaminated water. However, since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is already conducting international verification of the contaminated water, the Korean and Japanese governments do not officially use the term 'verification' to describe the role of the inspection team. Previously, Taiwan, which also visited the contaminated water site, named their team an on-site ‘observation team.’

The on-site inspection is expected to take two days. The total period the inspection team will stay in Japan is reported to be at least 3 nights and 4 days, including one or two days before and after the inspection. The inspection team is expected to be composed mainly of experts in nuclear safety and marine environment from government-related agencies and affiliated organizations, with some participation from working-level officials of relevant ministries.