Japanese protest against further discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water

Japanese citizens from multiple civic groups attended a rally in Tokyo on Wednesday, demanding the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, to immediately halt the ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated water.

Kikue Bando, a member of the nuclear civilian regulatory commission, submitted a questionnaire to TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima plant, in the name of the representative of the civic group.

"Despite the availability of on-site storage solutions, ocean disposal, which contributes to global contamination, must cease. Opposition from abroad is a natural response. The sea is not a nuclear waste disposal site.

"The dispersion of radiation pollution into the ocean will not be understood or accepted by countries worldwide. The contaminated water that has passed through the debris of the accident reactors is different from the effluents of other nuclear power plants. Deceptive explanations cannot be tolerated," said the nuclear civilian regulatory commission.

The civic group raised questions to TEPCO regarding its decommissioning plan of the Fukushima plant, specific measures addressing high-concentration radioactive materials stored within the premises, and assessments on strategies for permanent storage.

Toshihiko Sasaki, a 71-year-old resident of Chiba Prefecture, said: "There should be an increase in data about the types and amount of radioactive substances in the storage tanks for the contaminated water. We need to know how much radioactivity is actually removed by the Advanced Liquid Processing System. Whether these radioactive isotopes have been eliminated or not should be confirmed."