A Japanese government panel on Friday roughly accepted a draft proposal for releasing into the sea massive amounts of radioactive water being stored at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s draft proposal said that releasing the water gradually into the sea was the safer, more feasible method, although evaporation was also a proven method used after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the US.
The proposal would be submitted to the government in the coming weeks for further discussion to decide when and how the water should be released.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Nearly nine years after the 2011 meltdowns of three reactor cores at the nuclear power plant, it was a small step toward deciding what to do with the water and follows expert recommendations.
It is meant to solve a growing problem for the plant’s operator stuck between limited storage space for the water, and an imminent backlash from the public and possibly neighboring countries.
Fishers and residents fear possible health effects from releasing the radioactive water as well as harm to the region’s image, and fishing and farming industry.
The water has been treated, and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power, has said that all 62 radioactive elements it contains can be removed to levels not harmful to humans, except for tritium.
The ministry said the controlled release to the sea is superior than other methods, because its traveling route is predictable and easier to sample and monitor.
However, the method could affect Fukushima’s still struggling fishing industry.
Some said a release of the water should not be rushed or it would compromise Fukushima’s reconstruction.
“We should put Fukushima’s recovery before anything else,” said Takami Morita at the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science. “Local fishermen and residents cannot accept a release of the water unless Fukushima’s recovery makes more progress.”
Morita said demand for Fukushima fish has only recovered to less than one-fifth of levels before the accident, even though almost all fish from the area meet safety standards.
The report acknowledged that the water release would harm industries that still face reluctant consumers, despite diligent safety checks.
It promised to reinforce monitoring of tritium levels and food safety checks to address consumer concerns.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number