Stop Dumping Radioactive Water into Pacific Ocean on Anniversary

Stop Dumping Radioactive Water Into Pacific Ocean
On One Year Anniversary Of Japan’s Contamination of Pacific Ocean
8/23/24 Friday
Rally at San Francisco Japanese Consulate
275 Battery St. San Francisco
1:00 PM


August 23, 2024 is the one year anniversary of the decision of the Japanese power company TEPCO and the Japanese LDP Kashida government to dump millions of tons of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

The water which includes tritium is more contamination of the Pacific Ocean and must be stopped now. Countries and the people in Asian and people around the world have protested this action by the Japanese government. The Fukushima Fisherman’s Association have also opposed the dumping.

After 12 years TEPCO and the Japanese government have still been unable to remove the melted nuclear rods in the broken nuclear plants. This is an environmental crime.

The Japanese government is also joining to prepare for war with Japan and is flagrantly violating Article 9 of the Japanese constitution which prevents offensive war. Japan is now supporting the US Israel war in Gaza and also is joining with NATO for joint exercises. This has nothing to do with the defense of Japan and again violates their constitution.

The government has also started to re-open nuclear plants which also could also melt down in another major earthquake. This reckless action must be opposed as well to prevent another man made catastrophe.

We Must Act NOW!
Stop Dumping Radioactive Water Into Pacifica
Stop Reopening Nuclear Plants
No War and Militarization In Asia
US & Japan OUT of Okinawa & Shut All US Bases In Japan

Join No Nukes Action


Work to remove nuclear fuel at Fukushima plant postponed again
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15397031
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 22, 2024 at 13:01 JST

The No. 2 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Aug. 22 again postponed a long-awaited test to remove melted nuclear fuel from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 power plant, citing a mistake in equipment installation.

The removal work was scheduled for later that day at the plant’s No. 2 reactor. TEPCO said it has not yet decided on a new starting time.

According to the utility, preparatory work began at around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 22. However, TEPCO later discovered that equipment for the test was installed in the wrong order.

TEPCO’S plan was to open an isolation valve, insert a simple “fishing rod-type device,” and move it on a path toward the reactor containment vessel via remote control.

Once in the containment vessel, the tool would extract up to 3 grams of fuel debris over a period of about two weeks, according to the plan.

But work was halted because of the possibility that the device may not pass through, the company said.

TEPCO said no radiation leaks have been confirmed as a result of the opening of the isolation valve.

The radiation level inside the containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor is several tens of sieverts per hour, enough to kill most people within a few minutes.

The only way to remove the fuel debris is to use a remote-controlled robot. This is expected to be the most difficult part of the decommissioning process of the plant, which is expected to take several decades to complete, according to TEPCO.

An estimated 880 tons of melted fuel debris accumulated at the plant’s No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The central government and TEPCO had planned to begin removing the debris from the No. 2 reactor in 2021 using a robotic arm developed with government funds.

But work was postponed three times due to technical problems, including a lack of precision of the robotic arm.

(This article was written by Nobuyuki Takiguchi and Keitaro Fukuchi.)

Japan to release Fukushima water into ocean from Aug. 24
By Sakura Murakami and Tom Bateman
August 23, 20231:13 AM PDTUpdated a year ago



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TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing into the sea more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, going ahead with a plan heavily criticised by China.

The plan, approved two years ago by the Japanese government as crucial to decommissioning the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) (9501.T), opens new tab, has also faced criticism from local fishing groups fearing reputational damage.

"I expect the water release to start on August 24, weather conditions permitting," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

The announcement comes a day after the government said it had won "a degree of understanding" from the fishing industry over the release of the water into the Pacific Ocean, even as fishing groups said they still feared the reputational damage would ruin their livelihood.
The water will initially be released in smaller portions and with extra checks, with the first discharge totalling 7,800 cubic metres over about 17 days starting Thursday, Tepco said.
That water will contain about 190 becquerels of tritium per litre, below the World Health Organisation drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels per litre, according to Tepco. A becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.

Japan has said that the water release is safe. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog, greenlighted the plan in July, saying that it met international standards and that the impact it would have on people and the environment was "negligible”.
About 56% of respondents to a survey conducted by Japanese broadcaster FNN over the weekend said they supported the release, while 37% opposed.

"The IAEA and many other countries have said it's safe, so I believe it is. But fishermen are facing so many problems so the Japanese government needs to do something to convince them," said 77-year-old NGO worker Hiroko Hashimoto.

SCEPTICISM ABROAD

Despite assurances, some neighbouring countries have also expressed scepticism over the safety of the plan, with Beijing the biggest critic.

Protest in Hong Kong after Japan's announcement to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea

Item 1 of 16 A demonstrator holds an image of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a protest in Hong Kong after Japan's announcement that it would start releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, August 24, 2023.

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
[1/16]A demonstrator holds an image of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a protest in Hong Kong after Japan's announcement that it would start releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, August 24, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab


Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called the move "extremely selfish". He said China was deeply concerned about the decision and had lodged a formal complaint.

Wang said China "will take all necessary measures to protect the marine environment, food safety, and public health," but did not mention any specific measures.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee called the discharge "irresponsible" and said the city would "immediately activate" import controls on Japanese seafood from regions including capital Tokyo and Fukushima starting Thursday.

The ban, which will also be implemented by Macau, would cover live, frozen, refrigerated, dried seafood, as well as sea salt and seaweed.

South Korea said in a statement released Tuesday that it sees no problem with the scientific or technical aspects of the plan, but did not necessarily agree with or support it.

The matter has required President Yoon Suk Yeol to strike a balance as he seeks better relations with Japan while risking consumer backlash at home.

Despite the unease abroad, Kishida said he believed an "accurate understanding" of the matter was spreading in the international community.

Japan says it will remove most radioactive elements from the water except for tritium, a hydrogen isotope that must be diluted because it is difficult to filter.

"Nuclear power plants worldwide have routinely discharged water containing tritium for over 60 years without harm to people or the environment, most at higher levels than the 22 TBq per year planned for Fukushima," Tony Irwin, an honorary associate professor at the Australian National University, said in a note.

A Japanese official said the first test results of the seawater after the discharge may be available at the start of September. Japan will also test fish in the waters near the plant, and make the test results available on the agriculture ministry's website.

(This story has been refiled to correct the spelling of 'tons' in paragraph 1)

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Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, and Tom Bateman in Tokyo; Martin Pollard in Beijing; Farah Master and Twinnie Siu in Hong Kong; Hyonhee Shin and Ju-min Park in Seoul; David Stanway in Singapore; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle and Giles Elgood