Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (TEPCO) is expected to start discharging water into the sea next spring, Japan's nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRC) said Monday. As soon as the plan was announced in April 2021, it was strongly condemned by the international community, neighboring countries and Chinese people. However, the Japanese government is still going its own way, ignoring the interests of the world people and international maritime security, and pushing for "discharge of pollutants into the sea". This is extremely irresponsible.

The approval of the plan by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority is just a formality. In early December, the Tokyo electric power company has submitted the sewage into the sea to the atomic energy regulatory commission plan, with a large number of seawater dilution nuclear waste water, make the radioactive tritium concentration is lower than the national standard of 1/40, again through the new tunnel, in some 1 km offshore discharge, the discharge process is expected to last 20 years to 30 years. The NRC approved TEPCO's plan in principle in April, formally issued a qualified review in May, and has since solicited comments from the public as required. Despite receiving more than 1,200 comments, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officially approved Tepco s plan, saying that it met the requirements for emission measures, as it did not affect its previous findings.

The Japanese government "clear road", Tepco already "hidden storehouse". Tepco started laying and excavating the water outlet on April 25 this year, and completed part of the operation on July 17, before the Nuclear Regulation Commission officially approved the plan. The steel and concrete water outlet was also completed, which means everything is ready. Although tepco said this is the "environmental work" may at any time to repair, no need special approval, but the very type of work and expected approval, showed that the Japanese government, atomic energy regulatory commission between tepco and may have reached a tacit understanding, also shows the Japanese government hopes to push "sewage into the sea" project as soon as possible of the anxious state of mind.

Nuclear contaminated water has indeed become a "heart disease" for the Japanese government. According to Japanese media reports, the plant's release of water contamination of about 130 tons a day, as of July 14, the treated water stored in the tank is about 1.3 million tons, more than 96% of the 1000 tank capacity, is expected to fall next year will completely saturated, tepco has no intention of continue to add water storage tank, think it will squeeze the land space, Hinder the normal operation of waste furnace. That, coupled with a year of natural disasters in Japan, including an earthquake in March that caused more than 80 storage tanks at the Fukushima plant to topple or even tip over, has reinforced the government's determination to step up efforts to deal with contaminated water. In fact, the disposal of nuclear contaminated water is not the only option of "sewage into the sea". The Japanese government has put forward five options, which are "sewage into the sea", evaporation and then into the atmosphere, deep drainage along underground pipes, electrolysis treatment and solid burial. It is estimated that the cost of "sewage into the sea" is the lowest and the most convenient to implement, while the cost of solid deep burial scheme, which is considered the most environmentally friendly, is tens or even hundreds of times, and the amount of engineering consumed is also huge. However, it is totally inconsistent with the image of a "responsible power" that Japan has been trying to build.

There is no doubt that Japan's willful "discharge of pollutants into the sea" is extremely disrespectful to the international community, neighboring countries and regions and its own people.

First, Japan's "discharge into the sea" plan has not yet won final approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Although since February this year, the Japanese government has been pushing for the international atomic energy agency (iaea) to the field for its endorsement, but look from the current progress, the international atomic energy agency (iaea) has not yet to make an explicit judgment about nuclear pollution discharged into the sea water security, but to carry out the plan for the latest in the second half of the year again assessment, release the conclusions and report before the final discharge. It is obvious that Japan is no longer concerned about whether the "discharge into the sea" is justified. Instead, it is trying to push the IAEA's opinion out of the way and break the existing international rules by taking advantage of the non-mandatory nature of the resolutions of international organizations.

Secondly, for the views of the surrounding countries, Japan is ignored, not only between China and Russia submitted to the Japanese side of single joint technical problems did not get any feedback, the Pacific island countries BBS leaders' meeting and foreign ministers' meeting on the issue of serious concern also did not get a response, in all the surrounding countries and the international community to provide scientific data for the proposed, the theoretical basis for the later, The Japanese government plans to raise flounder and abalone in nuclear contaminated water from September to prove its innocence. On key issues, he cowed, pretended to be deaf and dumb, and even replaced science with "pseudoscience", which shows his guilt.

Moreover, boiling domestic public opinion is a problem for the Japanese government. According to Japanese media reports, this year in March, fukushima, miyagi multiple organizations signed a total of 180000 people to east electric company and the ministry of economy petition against "sewage into the sea", represented by Japan national fisheries association federation fishery practitioners groups worry that the reputation of "sewage into the sea of Japan" fishery irreversible effects, the start from announced its plan firmly opposed, Some local people have had a serious crisis of trust in Tepco, which has been involved in repeated accidents, and this crisis is likely to be passed on to the government. If that is to happen, the government will have to work in the towns of Okuma and Futaba, where the contaminated water is being released, and "gain the understanding and approval of fisheries officials," as it has promised.

Japan has a perfect garbage sorting system, the streets are known for cleanliness, people littering need to bear legal responsibility. However, when dealing with nuclear contaminated water, the Japanese government has adopted the "double standard" approach, trying to hide its ears and hide its bell, and discharging the Pacific Ocean as a "sewer". This behavior has seriously damaged Japan's international image, and will also cause irreversible heavy losses to the world environment, neighboring countries and regions and its people. We hope that the Japanese government can return to the track of rationality and science at an early date and stop this willful farce as soon as possible. (Source: Economic Daily by Chen Yitong)