Problems of Discharging ALPS Treated Water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Sea

This report summarizes the process that led to the decision made by the government on the Basic Policy for ALPS treated Water after the Fukushima Daiichi NPP (Chapters I and III) accident,5 provides information on tritium—a radioactive material difficult to remove from treated water (Chapter II)—and describes the measures taken to deal with reputational damage (Chapter IV)—the biggest challenge to the implementation of discharge into the sea. In April 2021, as a measure to deal with the contaminated water was that was generated by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, the Japanese government decided to discharge it into the sea after it was purified by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) until the concentration of radioactive materials within the “ALPS treated water,” other than tritium, were below the regulatory limits, and after it was further diluted with seawater. However, local governments and individuals involved in the fishery trade in Fukushima have expressed concerns about reputational damage and are calling for a withdrawal of the offshore release policy. Concrete development of effective measures—such as improving credibility through thorough safety measures and transparent information disclosure, implementing measures to secure and expand distribution channels for marine products, etc., and compensation for any reputational damage that may occur—is essential to prevent impediments to the reconstruction process.