Environment Japan to release treated Fukushima water into the sea

Some Western diplomatic sources in Vienna, home to the IAEA, see the move as an attempt by China to apply pressure to oppose Japan's release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which the IAEA approved in July. The IAEA, a United Nations organization responsible for preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy, is funded by euro and U.S. dollar contributions from member countries. According to a Sept. 22 IAEA report, China, which has the second-largest yearly contribution after the U.S. at about $65 million, had withheld payment of the entire amount. Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, the U.K., Australia, India, South Korea, Russia and other major countries had paid their contributions in full by that day. Of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, China was the only nation that had not paid anything. China has since contributed about half the amount, according to sources at the IAEA.

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There is deep-rooted skepticism in the U.S. about granting money to international organizations, and it has tried to pressure organizations in the past by delaying payments. As of Sept. 22, the U.S. had paid only about one-quarter of the roughly $113 million it owes the IAEA. Up to now, China has strongly criticized the U.S. for not paying its share at the United Nations and other forums. However, as it is now a major contributor, Beijing may be following Washington's example in trying to use withheld payments as leverage.

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No abnormal tritium levels have been detected in nearby waters from the previous three discharges, according to TEPCO. From this round on, the operator will forgo the step of temporarily storing the treated water in a large tank to check the tritium level before release. It will check the level as the water flows through pipes, as it did in the past three rounds. [...] The processed water has been diluted with seawater to one-40th of the concentration permitted under Japanese safety standards before being released via an underwater tunnel 1 kilometer off the power plant. Nuclear power plants worldwide routinely release treated water containing low concentrations of tritium, considered less harmful than other radioactive materials, and other radionuclides into the environment as part of normal operations, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China would continue to conduct independent sampling and testing to improve international oversight of the discharge, signalling that more testing was needed before the seafood ban could be lifted. "One single test does not say everything," she said, citing experts' comments. "The first independent sampling is just one of the steps for Japan to implement its commitments," Mao said. "The resumption of aquatic product imports depends on a series of scientific data, including our follow-up independent sampling and monitoring, and whether Japan will take measures to guarantee the safety and quality of its aquatic products to China."

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