No Dumping Radioactive Water Into The Pacific No Restarting Nukes In Japan

4/13 SF Action At SF Japan Consulate
No Dumping Radioactive Water Into The Pacific
No Restarting Nukes In Japan, STOP Militarization & War

Thursday April 13, 2023 1 PM

Japanese Consulate
275 Battery St/California St.
San Francisco, CA

This is the 12th anniversary of the Japan Fukushima tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the TEPCO plant. The melted nuclear rods remain in the reactors 12 years after the disaster and they still need to be cooled by water causing further contamination.
There still is 407,000 tons of radioactive waste stored in Fukushima and throughout Japan.
The Kishida government is set to release over 1.3 million tons of contaminated water with tritium into the Pacific Ocean despite the opposition of the people of Japan and many countries in Asia.

The US and Japanese people must stand agains opening more nuclear plants, dumping radioactive water into the Pacific and for all US bases out of Japan.

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No Nukes Action Committee
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He’s fished in Fukushima waters for 56 years — now Japan wants to dump radioactive waste there
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1085148.html
Posted on : Mar.26,2023 10:23 KST Modified on : Mar.26,2023 10:23 KST

71-year-old Haruo Ono says the sea is a “source of life” — one which politicians unilaterally chose to use as the dumping grounds for wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown
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Fishers organize their catches at a fish market in Fukushima on March 8. (Xinhua/Yonhap)
“Once they dump the contaminated water, it’s all over.”
This was the response of Haruo Ono, a fisher in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, to the government’s plan to release radioactively contaminated water into the sea this spring. Ono, who is 71 this year, had been catching fish in the sea for over a half-century — ever since he was 15 years old.
“After the contaminated water is released, who’s going to feed their children seafood from Fukushima?” he asked in exasperation. For people like him who make their living from fishing, the waters of Fukushima have been a workplace throughout their lives.
Already denounced by their neighbors as residents of a country that simply dumps its radioactive water into the ocean, they have been suffering an even greater fate at home.
“People cannot live without the sea. The sea is the source of life,” Ono stressed.
“I hope that not just Japan but our neighbors in Korea too will speak out against this contaminated water issue and protect our seas,” he urged.
This interview with him took place on March 14 through Tsunaki Ohara, a member of the editorial board at No Nukes News.
Tsunaki Ohara: What is your connection with the sea off Fukushima?
Haruo Ono: I live in Shinchi, a seaside village in northern Fukushima Prefecture. It’s about 50–60 kilometers away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. I have a boat, and I’m a member of the Soma Futaba Fisheries Cooperative in Fukushima Prefecture.
I’ve worked as a fisher since I was 15 years old. I’m 71 this year, so that’s a history dating back 56 years. My father and grandfather were fishers, and everyone in my family now is a fisher.
Ohara: How did things change after the March 2011 East Japan earthquake and nuclear power plant disaster 12 years ago?
Ono: Fishing activities were halted for a while after the Fukushima disaster. In June 2012, they started allowing test fishing for varieties of seafood that had been confirmed as safe. In April 2017, that got expanded to test fishing for all varieties apart from ones that were subject to shipping restrictions.
It was in 2020 that they really began expanding fishing once again. Fish hadn’t been selling because consumers were shunning products from Fukushima. The state’s radioactivity standard is 100 becquerels (Bq), but the Fukushima Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative set its own shipment standard of 50 Bq. Anything over that gets thrown out rather than sold.
Ohara: Were there any changes to the catch sizes or selling prices?
Ono: Catch sizes did drop a bit when the cooperative was subject to restrictions. Selling prices have recently recovered. I think the reason has to do with how thorough the fisheries cooperative has been about monitoring and sampling and how transparent about sharing the results, which the consumers appreciate.
Radioactivity levels have been close to zero, but there have been occasional high readings, such as a level of 85.5 Bq detected in sea bass last Feb. 7. In cases like those, shipments are suspended until that variety is verified to be safe.

Haruo Ono, 71, has made his living for the past 56 years fishing in the ocean that touches Fukushima. (courtesy of Ono)
Ohara: The Japanese government has decided to release radioactively contaminated water this year.
Ono: None of us fishers could understand that. This was a decision made unilaterally by politicians, the prime minister, and the Cabinet members. I thought Japan was a constitutional state. Do they really need to rush to dispose of it in the sea like this, without the permission of the people it affects?
Ohara: For fishers, this is a matter of survival.
Ono: The sea is a precious environment for us fishers. None of us wants to see the contamination of the environment we depend on. Who would welcome having trash dumped in front of their door?
And why do they think it’s OK to contaminate the water off of Fukushima? If [the water] is as safe as they claim, they should use it for farming. They should use it for kids’ swimming pools.
My understanding is that around 70%–80% of the Japanese public is opposed. By dumping the contaminated water in the sea, the government is going back on its pledge. Is that something a country’s prime minister should be doing? Prime Minister Kishida, I am also one of Japan’s citizens.
Ohara: What sort of measures has the government established in terms of compensation for losses?
Ono: This is not about money. They’ve talked about things like compensation for losses, but that is completely beside the point.
The sea is not some kind of property that human beings hold claim to. It’s the home of fishes and many other forms of life. Who are we to just willfully pollute that environment?
The creatures that live in the sea can’t speak for themselves. But as people who make our living catching those creatures, fishers know what kind of debt of gratitude we owe them.
Our work involves delivering those creatures to consumers — in the form of delicious seafood. Once they’ve dumped contaminated water into the sea, it’s too late for regrets.
Ohara: What alternatives do you envision?
Ono: They just need to stop rushing so fast to release the water in the ocean. I don’t understand why they’ve chosen the worst possible approach. We live in an era of scientific advancements — there must be some better way. If we don’t have it now, we will in a few years’ time.
I just have to ask why they’re in such a rush to dump the contaminated water when we still don’t know how the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is going to get finished.
Ohara: I’m sure the other residents are quite unhappy too.
Ono: The electricity generated by Fukushima Daiichi ended up being used by people in Tokyo and its metropolitan area. It’s enough to have me thinking maybe the contaminated water ought to be dumped in Tokyo Bay instead.
Why does Fukushima keep bearing the brunt of everything? The ministers claim [the water] is safe — if it’s that safe, let’s see them drink it.
Ohara: What sort of losses do you foresee after the contaminated water has been released?
Ono: Once again, we won’t be able to sell our seafood. Who’s going to buy it? Would you feed your children seafood from Fukushima [after contaminated water has been released there]?
It makes sense that people would avoid Fukushima seafood compared with other regions. Once they dump the contaminated water, it’s all over.

Japan set to release treated water off Fukushima despite fears

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230313/p2g/00m/0bu/010000c
March 13, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)

This photo taken on Jan. 19, 2023, shows tanks storing treated radioactive water on the premises of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Twelve years have passed since the 2011 nuclear disaster and preparations are underway to discharge treated radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima power plant, although local fishermen and Japan's neighbors remain wary of the plan.


The Japanese government seeks to begin releasing the water sometime this spring or summer, with operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. asserting the many large tanks holding treated water are obstructing work to decommission the defunct reactors.


TEPCO and the government plan to release the water containing trace amounts of tritium into the Pacific Ocean despite opposition from fishery communities whose businesses have finally made progress in recovering from reputational damage caused by the disaster, considered the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown.


"Immediately after the accident, I never thought the day would come when we would be able to sell so much fish," said Masahiro Ishibashi, a 43-year-old fisherman who spoke while sorting seasonal whitebait at a port in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.


"The discharge of the water may destroy everything that has been built up so far. I want the government and TEPCO to think a little more about this," Ishibashi said in late February.


After a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi plant lost power and the ability to cool its reactors. The Nos. 1 to 3 reactors suffered core meltdowns, and the buildings of No. 1, 3 and 4 units were severely damaged by hydrogen explosions.


Since then, water has been continuously pumped in to cool melted fuel and debris. The water becomes contaminated with radioactive materials like cesium and strontium and mixes with groundwater and rainwater before being moved into storage tanks after being treated with an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS, that removes most radionuclides.


The introduction of the ALPS in 2013 allowed most contaminants to be removed from the water, but the process cannot eliminate tritium, which is difficult to separate.


The total amount of treated water stored in tanks exceeded 1.32 billion liters, or 96 percent of the storage capacity as of Feb. 16, and TEPCO says it is difficult to add more tanks as it needs to secure a site for a debris storage facility.


The government decided in April 2021 to start discharging the treated water into the sea from around the spring of 2023 after diluting it with seawater to keep the concentration level of tritium under one-40th of the country's safety standards.


According to the plan, the treated water will be released about one kilometer off the coast through an underwater tunnel, which now measures about 800 meters in length, and two large tanks to pool treated water before the release that have been built near the Nos. 5 and 6 units.


Tritium is a relative of hydrogen and exists naturally in rainwater and seawater due to cosmic radiation and past nuclear tests.


It is said to pose little risk to human health and the environment as the radiation given off by it is very weak and cannot penetrate human skin. It is also believed to be unlikely that it can accumulate in a living body.


Tritiated water is produced at nuclear generation facilities that have not experienced accidents and is released inside and outside Japan under set regulations.


Fishery associations nationwide remain firmly opposed despite the government pledging to provide the industry with financial support to help them continue operations and prevent reputational damage. It also guaranteed to buy their products if demand dries up due to consumer backlash.


Fishing along the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, known for high-quality seafood, has not recovered fully, as hauls by fisheries in the prefecture last year only stood at 20 percent of the level before the nuclear disaster.


TEPCO and the government promised local fishermen in 2015 they will not dispose of the treated water without gaining the understanding of concerned parties -- but it remains unclear to whom that refers -- and local residents are worried the release could take place without local approval.


Some of Japan's neighbors have also expressed opposition to the plan, with China and Russia voicing concern at a U.N. Security Council meeting last month.


"Regrettably, to date Japan has yet to provide science-based and credible explanations on key issues," China's Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun said, citing such points as the legitimacy of the discharge plan and reliability of its data on the treated water.


A Russian representative also criticized Japan's stance, arguing Tokyo approved the water discharge plan without obtaining consent from neighboring countries.


"When making that decision, our Japanese colleagues did not think it necessary to discuss the issue with the neighboring states," Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Chumakov said.


Meanwhile, a South Korean government official said in January the water must be safely disposed of in accordance with international standards from objective and scientific perspectives.


The country's government-backed research institutes released an analysis in February that the release would not affect human health, as the concentration of tritium will be extremely low in South Korean waters in 10 years if the treated water discharge goes ahead as scheduled.


To ensure the discharge is in line with international safety standards and poses no harm to public health and the environment, the International Atomic Energy Agency has conducted several safety reviews of the plan.


The IAEA plans to issue a comprehensive report based on their findings prior to the start of the discharge, with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi saying transparency of the process is key to the successful execution of Japan's plan.

Ohara: The other fishers must be very worried too.
Ono: The harm that tritium causes doesn’t go away after one or two years. If they continue dumping water over several years, the damage could be permanent.
Of course we’re worried. This has been physically and mentally difficult. It took 12 years for things to stabilize the way they did after the disaster.
What did we fishers do to deserve this? Why won’t they listen to us?
Ohara: What does this mean for your children’s generation?
Ono: My three sons are all fishers. That makes me even more worried. I’m worried about what it will mean for my children’s and grandchildren’s health if the ocean gets contaminated.
Ohara: It sounds like many people in Japan take this contaminated water release issue very seriously.
Ono: The dumping of this water isn’t just an issue for Fukushima. It affects Japan as a country.
It seems like some of the public thinks that it’s the state’s decision and there’s nothing to be done about it. The public needs to really understand this issue.
People living in seaside villages have long believed that there are spirits living in the sea. The sea is the source of life. People cannot live without the sea.
Our oceans are not a garbage can. I’d like to see the Japanese public speaking out together to protect the ocean.
Interview conducted by Tsunaki Ohara, editorial board member at No Nukes News; edited for clarity by Hong Seock-jae, staff reporter

West LA Passes Resolution Opposing Japan Dumping of Radioactive Water From Fukushima Passes Resolution Opposing Japan Dumping of Radioactive Water From Fukushima


CITY COUNCIL MARCH 6, 2023 CONSENT CALENDAR

SUBJECT:

INITIATED BY: PREPARED BY:

RESOLUTION OPPOSING TEPCO AND THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN’S PLANNED DISCHARGE OF WASTEWATER INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

COUNCILMEMBER CHELSEA BYERS

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

(Yvonne Quarker, Community Services Director)
(Andi Lovano, Community & Legislative Affairs Manager) (Jennifer Del Toro, Community & Legislative Affairs Supervisor)

______________________________________________________________________
STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT:

The City Council will consider adopting a resolution opposing Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the government of Japan’s planned discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) Adopt Resolution No. 23-_______ “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD OPPOSING TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (TEPCO) AND THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN’S PLANNED DISCHARGE OF WASTEWATER FROM THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.”

2) Direct staff to send copies of the resolution to President Joseph Biden, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Alex Padilla, Congressman Adam Schiff, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and other partners as appropriate.

BACKGROUND / ANALYSIS:

On April 13, 2021, the government of Japan announced its plan to release more than 1.28 million metric tons of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. The government of Japan noted the release of the wastewater as a necessary step for the ongoing plant cleanup and decommission, with

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AGENDA ITEM 2.W.

cleanup expected to begin as early as spring 2023 and continue for the next 30 years. The plant was severely damaged in a 2011 magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami that left about 20,000 people in northeast Japan dead or missing.

As a result of the quake and tsunami damage, the plant’s cooling systems were destroyed causing a meltdown of three reactors and the release of large amounts of radiation. Water that has been used to cool the three damaged reactor cores, which remain highly radioactive, has since leaked but was collected and stored in tanks. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), has claimed that it has run out of space to build new tanks to hold the accumulated wastewater.

The plant site utilizes the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). This filtration system cannot remove all radioactive materials, leaving 72 percent of the water exceeding the regulatory standards and containing radioactive substances such as tritium (H-3), carbon-14, strontium-90, cesium-137, and plutonium. The processing of wastewater through ALPS will not change the quantity of radioactivity in the water, and such radioactivity could accumulate in parts of the marine environment and living organisms through bioaccumulation. Fukushima radiation has been detected on West Coast shores of the United States and Canada since 2015, and whatever is released in the planned discharge will eventually reach the shores of the United States and Canada and other nations in the Pacific, affecting their marine and coastal environment.

In April 2021, three independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed their concerns that the dumping of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi could impact millions of lives and livelihoods in the Pacific region, and such dumping imposes considerable risks to the full enjoyment of human rights of concerned populations in and beyond the borders of Japan. Experts have also expressed concern that the radioactive substances contained in the wastewater such as tritium and strontium, when consumed, may have negative long-term health effects on humans.

TEPCO’s plan has faced strong opposition from Fukushima agricultural, forestry, fisheries, and consumer cooperatives. In Japan, civil society groups, elected officials, and scholars have expressed concerns, along with the United States, and other nations in the Pacific region, who have petitioned the Japanese government to reconsider its plan.

Page 2 of 5

Scientists have pointed out multiple deficiencies in TEPCO’s plan, including inadequacies in sampling, inadequacies in assessing the effectiveness of ALPS, and inadequacies in ecosystem assessment. Several Japanese groups are calling for safer, more environmentally sound alternative solutions, which does not cause unnecessary harm to the marine and human life in the Pacific Region.

This resolution calls on the City of West Hollywood to oppose TEPCO and the government of Japan’s planned discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant into the Pacific Ocean. This resolution is consistent with the City’s core values, which aim to protect the environment and the health and safety of the community. The City of West Hollywood and its visitors value our state’s ocean and coastal waters, which provide habitat to a vast array of wildlife, including fish, whales, sea turtles, and birds that depend on a healthy and clean environment. Discharge of wastewater, which may be hazardous, into the Pacific coast would put these coastal resources, and the communities and industries that depend on them, at risk of damages.

In 1994, the California Legislature enacted the California Coastal Sanctuary Act (Statutes of 1994, Chapter 970), a bipartisan statute aimed at protecting the California coast. Now more than ever, the California coast needs to be protected from decisions that advance the interests of the oil and gas industry at the expense of natural resources and the environment. Our natural resources belong to each and every American, are irreplaceable, and must be protected.

The City of West Hollywood has been at the forefront of pushing for reforms to improve environmental protections. In 2015, the City passed a resolution urging California to place a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking”, due to a number of environmental concerns. In 2018, the City passed a resolution in support of a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling, fracking, and other well stimulation. And more recently in 2021, the City passed a resolution supporting any legislation permanently barring all new or existing exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas off the coast of the United States.

Page 3 of 5

STAFF ANALYSIS:

This section of the report is provided by City staff to offer additional administrative and programming impacts for this item.

This item has a low impact on staff time and current departmental workplans. If this item is approved, it would require staff time to prepare and send correspondence to accompany the adopted resolution to the relevant elected officials as referenced in the report.

CONFORMANCE WITH VISION 2020 AND THE GOALS OF THE WEST HOLLYWOOD GENERAL PLAN:

This item is consistent with the Primary Strategic Goal(s) (PSG) and/or Ongoing Strategic Program(s) (OSP) of:

 OSP-11: Community Education.

 OSP-12: Actively Participate in Regional Issues.

In addition, this item is compliant with the following goal(s) of the West Hollywood General Plan: General Plan:

 SN-2: Minimize exposure to hazardous materials.

EVALUATION PROCESSES:

N/A

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTH:

N/A

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:

N/A

OFFICE OF PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY:

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT / COMMUNITY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DIVISION

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FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

ATTACHMENT:

Attachment A - Resolution No. 23-_______ “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD OPPOSING TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (TEPCO) AND THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN’S PLANNED DISCHARGE OF WASTEWATER FROM THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN”

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Page 5 of 5

RESOLUTION NO. 23-____

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD OPPOSING TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (TEPCO) AND THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN’S PLANNED DISCHARGE OF WASTEWATER FROM THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

WHEREAS, on April 13, 2021, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the government of Japan announced its plan to release more than 1.28 million metric tons of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean, starting as early as spring 2023 and continuing for the next 30 years;

WHEREAS, the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), the filtration system used at the site cannot remove all radioactive materials before the release, leaving 72 percent of the water exceeding the regulatory standards and containing radioactive substances such as tritium (H-3), carbon-14, strontium-90, cesium-137, and plutonium;

WHEREAS, the wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is highly radioactive and is fundamentally different from the water from a nuclear power plant during a regular operation;

WHEREAS, Fukushima radiation has been detected on West Coast shores of the United States and Canada since 2015, and whatever is released in the planned discharge will eventually reach the shores of the United States and Canada and other nations in the Pacific, affecting their marine and coastal environment;

WHEREAS, in April 2021, three independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed their concerns that the dumping of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi could impact millions of lives and livelihoods in the Pacific region, and such dumping imposes considerable risks to the full enjoyment of human rights of concerned populations in and beyond the borders of Japan;

WHEREAS, the processing of wastewater through ALPS will not change the quantity of radioactivity in the water, and such radioactivity could accumulate in parts of the marine environment and living organisms through bioaccumulation;

WHEREAS, radioactive substances contained in the wastewater such as tritium and strontium, when consumed, may have negative long-term health effects on a body;

WHEREAS, Dr. Arjun Makhijani, along with four other scientists, has pointed out multiple deficiencies in TEPCO’s plan, including inadequacies in sampling, inadequacies in assessing the effectiveness of ALPS, and inadequacies in ecosystem assessment;

ATTACHMENT A

WHEREAS, Fukushima agricultural, forestry, fisheries, and consumer cooperatives strongly oppose the TEPCO plan of disposing the wastewater into the Pacific Ocean;

WHEREAS, civil society groups, elected officials, and scholars in Japan, the United States, and other nations in the Pacific region have expressed concerns with TEPCO’s plan and petitioned the Japanese government to reconsider its plan;

WHEREAS, safer, more environmentally sound alternative solutions have been proposed by Japanese civil society groups, engineers, and researchers;

WHEREAS, Dr. Tim Deere-Jones, independent marine pollution researcher, has warned that populations who live or work within 10 miles from the Pacific coastline may be adversely affected by the release, because the radioactive particles can travel inland due to the evaporation of the ocean water;

WHEREAS, the City of West Hollywood is situated within 10 miles of the coastline; and, therefore, its residents and businesses are at risk of being adversely affected by the planned release; and

WHEREAS, the City of West Hollywood demands TEPCO and the government of Japan reconsider the plan and adopt a more environmentally sound alternative solution which does not cause unnecessary harm to the marine and human life in the Pacific Region.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of West Hollywood hereby adopts a resolution opposing the plan of TEPCO and the government of Japan to discharge wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 6th day of March, 2023.

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ATTEST:

Melissa Crowder, City Clerk


Pacific Alliance of Municipal Councils: No to Japan’s plan to dump nuclear wastewater
https://www.mvariety.com/news/pacific-alliance-of-municipal-councils-no-to-japan-s-plan-to-dump-nuclear-wastewater/article_862f6b3a-b8a2-11ed-a930-23301c75733d.html
Press Release Mar 3, 2023 Updated Mar 3, 2023 Comments

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
An aerial view shows the storage tanks for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan on Feb. 13, 2021.
Kyodo/via REUTERS

(Press Release) — Despite Federated States of Micronesia’s President David Panuelo’s decision to withdraw the FSM’s protest against the nuclear wastewater dumping into the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Alliance of Municipal Councils or PAMC stands firm on its position on behalf of the countless people who are against Japan’s plan to dump 1.1 million tons of nuclear wastewater at the rate of 43,965 gallons per month or 527,578 gallons a year over a period of 10 years.

PAMC’s arguments reflect the opinions of the people of Rota, Tinian, and Saipan and the islands north of Saipan.


The primary concern is that the tests to determine the toxicity level of the wastewater are based on current ocean composition, and no amount of tests done today can predict future environmental conditions that may interact with the toxic waste that Japan and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant or FNPP will dump into the ocean.

The second argument is that no matter how minuscule the toxicity is, it will be consumed by small fish, which are prey to larger fish, as well as the cumulative collection on coral reefs and sea plants.

The third argument is based on the safety assurance made years before the nuclear power plant was established and how those assurances failed against a tsunami’s wrath.

The fourth argument is that if Japan and the FNPP are so certain of the wastewater safety, they can seek permission from the citizens of Japan to release the wastewater on land in Japan or use the waste water for irrigation and not threaten other nations and people’s mental and physical security.

PAMC will continue reaching out to organizations and governments of other Pacific island nations to band together and fight against the implementation of Japan and the FNPP’s plan.

A mini-video symposium is scheduled for Saturday, April 8, 2023, at 2 p.m. The video symposium link will be announced as soon as it is set in Japan.

The current members of the Alliance are Jim Atalig, president; Jonovan Lizama, secretary/treasurer; Fred Manglona, from the 19th Rota Municipal Council; Joseph Santos, Marie San Nicolas, from the 19th Tinian Municipal Council; Antonia Tudela, vice chairman; Carmen Pangelinan, secretary, from the 17th Saipan Municipal Council; Juanita M. Mendiola, vice president, Thomasa Mendiola and Annie Demapan-Castro, former members of municipal councils. The rest of the current municipal council members have not yet communicated their intent to join the organization.

TEPCO visually confirms melted nuclear fuel at Fukushima plant
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14874722
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
March 31, 2023 at 18:16 JST

Photo/Illutration
An image captured underneath the No. 1 reactor on March 29 shows chunks on left that are believed to be fuel debris. (Provided by International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning)
Photo/Illutration
Photo/Illutration
A robotic study provided the first visual confirmation that melted nuclear fuel broke through a pressure vessel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. said March 30.

Images taken by the robot under the No. 1 reactor at the plant also confirmed heavy damage to a concrete “pedestal” under the pressure vessel.

The inspection by the robot started on March 29. It was the first such study at the No. 1 reactor, one of the three reactors that melted down at the plant following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

More than 90 percent of the nuclear fuel at the No. 1 reactor is believed to have fallen from the pressure vessel.

The robot found a large amount of melted fuel debris under the pressure vessel.

The cylindrical pedestal, which supports the 440-ton pressure vessel, is about 6 meters in diameter, and its walls are about 1.2 meters thick.

The high-temperature fuel debris apparently melted the concrete of the pedestal, leaving its reinforcing bars exposed.

The robot’s recorded images from the inner wall of the pedestal showed bare bars in the lower part of the pedestal.

“It was big progress that we could clearly see inside,” Akira Ono, who heads the cleanup project as chief of TEPCO’s decommissioning unit, said at a news conference on March 30. “We hope to thoroughly analyze the collected information.”

TEPCO still faces the difficult challenge of how to remove the fuel debris and how to protect the damaged pedestal from future earthquakes.

The meltdown at the No. 1 reactor is believed to be worse than those at the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors at the plant.

The International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning estimates the No. 1 reactor building contains 279 tons of melted fuel debris.

Naoyuki Takaki, a professor of nuclear safety engineering at Tokyo City University, said the fuel debris “cannot be taken out unless it is broken down into small pieces.”

Takaki said the method for cutting up such chunks will depend on the ratio and hardness of metal mixed in with the melted fuel.

But the information on objects within the fuel debris is limited so far.

“To put it briefly, it is unknown,” Takaki said.

The No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors at the Fukushima plant contain an estimated total of 880 tons of melted fuel debris.

TEPCO officials aim to start removal work of the fuel debris at the No. 2 reactor in the latter half of fiscal 2023. The initial plan is to take out a few grams, analyze their elements and hardness, and then increase the amount to be removed.

No timetable is set for such work at the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors.

The damaged pedestal has raised concerns that an earthquake could knock down the structure.

“I am worried about the pedestal collapsing in an earthquake and allowing the reactor pressure vessel to fall,” said Chihiro Kamisawa, a researcher at the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, a nonprofit organization.

“The shock caused by the fall would crack the pressure vessel, leading to the release of radioactive materials,” he said.

TEPCO has cited an analysis that the quake-resistance of the pedestal would be sufficient even if about a quarter of it is damaged. It said the reinforcing bars in a longitudinal direction have not changed much despite a series of strong quakes.

“There would not be a major problem caused by an earthquake,” Ono said on March 30.

The pressure vessel is supported not only by the pedestal but also by edge-on metals at the upper part.

TEPCO is expected to review the quake-resistance based on the robot inspection results.

(This article was written by Keitaro Fukuchi, Ryo Sasaki and Takuro Yamano.）