On April 19, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) will initiate the fifth batch of discharge of the ALPS treated water 1 from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
The discharge will take 19 days to complete.
Pre-discharge analysis on April 17 confirmed that the ALPS-treated water to be discharged in the fifth batch had met the regulatory standards for discharge.
Before that, TEPCO had released the ALPS-treated water for four times since August 2023 2. Monitoring has been conducted before, during, and after the timing of each discharge. From a scientific standpoint, all of these discharges have been safely conducted.
These discharges have also been reviewed and monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Mr. KISHIDA, Prime Minister of Japan, met with H.E. Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, on March 14.
DG Grossi stated that during his visit to Fukushima on March 13, he confirmed that all rounds of discharge of the ALPS-treated water into the sea are being carried out safely and as planned, in full accordance with international standards, and that the IAEA continues its involvement on this matter.
1. The fourth batch of discharge TEPCO conducted the fourth batch of discharge from February 28 to March 17, 2024. Throughout the fourth batch, the concentration of nuclides, including tritium in the seawater, measured before, during, and after the discharge was far below the relevant standards, which indicates that the discharge was safe as planned.
1) The discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea was conducted after dilution with seawater. As a result of this dilution process, each tritium concentration detected during the fourth batch of discharge was less than 230 Bq/L, far below the safety standard (1,500 Bq/L) set by the Government of Japan, let alone, much lower than the WHO Standards for Drinking Water (10,000 Bq/L).
2) Furthermore, each tritium concentration detected during and after the discharge off the coast of Fukushima prefecture has been less than 10 Bq/L, far below the safety standard (700 Bq/L) set by the Government of Japan.
3) Additionally, regarding radionuclides other than tritium, "the sum of the ratios of the concentration of each radionuclide to the regulatory concentration" was 0.34, well below the regulatory standard of 1, before the discharge into the seawater.
2. Meeting between Prime Minister Kishida and IAEA Director General Grossi On March 14, Mr. KISHIDA, Prime Minister of Japan, met with H.E. Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA. Prime Minister Kishida conveyed his gratitude to DG Grossi for his strong commitment to the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea and stated that Japan continues to work with the IAEA and broadens the international community's understanding and support for Japan's efforts, with a high level of transparency based on scientific evidence.
In response, DG Grossi stated that during his visit to Fukushima on March 13, he confirmed that all rounds of discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea are being carried out safely and as planned, in full accordance with international standards, and that the IAEA continues its involvement on this matter.
3. Meeting between Foreign Minister Kamikawa and IAEA Director General Grossi On March 14, Ms. Kamikawa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, had a bilateral meeting and a working dinner with DG Grossi.
Minister Kamikawa, noted that DG Grossi visited Fukushima again and witnessed the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea, expressed her appreciation for the IAEA's involvement to date from an independent, neutral, and scientific standpoint, and stated that Japan would like to continue the cooperation. In response, DG Grossi said that during his visit to Japan, he confirmed that all rounds of discharge of the ALPS-treated water into the sea are being carried out safely and as planned, in full accordance with international standards, and that he had a candid exchange of views with local people in Fukushima and young generation who will lead the future.
4. Sampling surveys on marine products Japan has voluntarily conducted sampling surveys on marine products and has conducted a component analysis of fish caught off the coast of Fukushima prefecture (regardless of whether it is for export or domestic consumption) after the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea and no tritium exceeding the detection limit has been detected.
1 ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) removes most of the radionuclides in the water to meet the regulatory standards for discharge, except tritium.
Tritium cannot be removed by purification and remains in the treated water, so the ALPS-treated water is diluted by seawater by 100 times or more so that the tritium concentration at the discharge outlet becomes less than 1,500 Bq/L.
2 The first batch was conducted from August 24 to September 11, the second batch was conducted from October 15 to October 23, and the third batch was conducted from November 2 to November 20, all in 2023. November 2 to November 20, all in 2023. The fourth batch was conducted from
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