Environment

Fukushima: Japan prepares to release 1.3 million tonnes of wastewater into the sea

Japan is preparing to release more than a million tonnes of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. The nuclear reactors have been decommissioned - a process which will take 40 years to complete. But the shutdown has stalled over the build-up of vast quantities of water used to keep the damaged reactors cool.

The site produces 100,000 litres of contaminated water daily. It is a combination of groundwater, rainwater that seeps into the area and water used for cooling. More than 1.32 million tonnes of treated wastewater is currently stored at the site. That accounts for 96 per cent of storage capacity.

TEPCO says several filtering systems remove most of the 62 radioactive elements in the water, including caesium and strontium, but tritium - a radioactive form of hydrogen - remains. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the release meets international standards and "will not cause any harm to the environment".

But neighbouring countries, including China and South Korea, along with activist groups such as Greenpeace and some local residents are strongly opposed to the release. Local fishermen fear the release would once again make consumers wary of buying their catch.