Bbc japan nuclear water

Japan has begun releasing treated radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean - 12 years after a nuclear meltdown. That's despite China slapping a ban on Japanese seafood and protests in Bbc japan nuclear water itself and South Korea. The UN's atomic regulator says the water will have "negligible" radiological impact on people and the environment.

Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Some 1. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting. Mr Kishida had visited the plant on Sunday, prompting speculation the release was imminent. The government has said that releasing the water is a necessary step in the lengthy and costly process of decommissioning the plant, which sits on the country's east coast, about km miles north-east of the capital Tokyo.

Bbc japan nuclear water

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James Smith, professor of environment and geological sciences with Portsmouth University, said that "in theory, you could drink this water", because the waste water is already treated when it is stored and then diluted. South Korea's government, however, has endorsed the plan, and bbc japan nuclear water accused protesters of scaremongering.

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Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Some 1. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting.

Bbc japan nuclear water

Japan has begun its controversial discharge of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking protests in the region and retaliation from Beijing. China is the biggest buyer of seafood from Japan, and on Thursday it said it would block all such imports. Japan says the water is safe, and many scientists agree. The UN's nuclear watchdog has also approved the plan. But critics say more studies need to be done and the release should be halted. More than a million tonnes of water stored at the nuclear plant will be discharged over the next 30 years. China, which has been the most vocal of opponents since the plan was announced two years ago, called the water discharge an "extremely selfish and irresponsible act" and said Japan was "passing an open wound onto the future generations of humanity". Shortly afterwards, China's customs office announced that an existing ban on seafood imports from Fukushima and some prefectures would be immediately extended to cover the whole of Japan to "protect the health of Chinese consumers". The move is calculated to inflict economic damage, and Japan has admitted that businesses will take a "significant" hit.

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But critics say more studies on how it could affect the ocean bed, marine life and humans are required. More on this story. Anxiety and anger over Fukushima nuclear waste plan. In , a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9. That's despite China slapping a ban on Japanese seafood and protests in Japan itself and South Korea. Experts say the waste water could be carried by ocean currents, particularly the cross-Pacific Kuroshio current. Mr Kishida had visited the plant on Sunday, prompting speculation the release was imminent. Image source, Getty Images. This means every day the plant produces contaminated water, which is stored in more than 1, tanks, enough to fill more than Olympic swimming pools. Sushi lovers grab last bites as seafood ban hits Japan Discharge from Japan nuclear plant safe, tests show What are the concerns over Fukushima water release?

A UN watchdog has said that Japan's plan to release waste water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea complies with international standards.

A crowd of protesters in Tokyo on Tuesday also staged a rally outside the prime minister's official residence, urging the government to stop the release. And marine biologist Robert Richmond, from the University of Hawaii, told the BBC: "We've seen an inadequate radiological, ecological impact assessment that makes us very concerned that Japan would not only be unable to detect what's getting into the water, sediment and organisms, but if it does, there is no recourse to remove it China retaliates as Japan releases Fukushima water. It accused Japan of treating the ocean like its "private sewer. But some scientists say we cannot predict the impact of releasing the water. It has also raised concerns about the consequences if the tanks were to collapse in a natural disaster. That's despite China slapping a ban on Japanese seafood and protests in Japan itself and South Korea. Japan has begun releasing treated radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean - 12 years after a nuclear meltdown. It was signed off by the UN's nuclear watchdog in July, with authorities concluding the impact on people and the environment would be negligible. Shortly after, authorities set up an exclusion zone which continued to be expanded as radiation leaked from the plant, forcing more than , people to evacuate from the area. The entire process will take at least 30 years. Some media commentators believe this could be a political move, especially as experts say there is no scientific evidence backing concerns around seafood, as the radiation released is so low.