In 2021, the Japanese Government announced plans to discharge treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean. This has raised concerns about the environmental impact on the region’s marine ecology and safety of agricultural and fishery products. 

While it is wise to be cautious, reports from organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency say that such concerns are overblown, as the discharged treated water will be well within international safety standards. To give members the full picture of the ALPS treated water discharge, Masami Miyashita, Director for Fukushima Reconstruction at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, presented a host of data and answered their questions. 

Addressing the big question about radiation in the treated water, Miyashita pointed out that ALPS treatment process eliminates all radiation contaminants, apart from tritium, which in itself is similar to hydrogen, and does not accumulate in the human body or through the food chain. 

On the concerns about marine life and food safety, Miyashita said strict inspections were implemented at every Fukushima port to make sure that exported seafood products meet international food safety standards. He also added that fishery sectors in the country were carefully self-monitoring the quality of produce to ensure quality products for restaurants. Hong Kong has also conducted around 70,000 tests on imported products, all of which were without any problem. He expressed hopes that countries and regions would look at the science and facts to settle any concerns people might have.