THE Japanese Ambassador Miwa Yoshiaki has sternly refuted some of the references made by Prime Minister Sogavare about Japan’s discharge of ALPS treated water into the ‘sea’ at the 48th Session of the United Nations General Assembly last week.
In a statement issued yesterday, Ambassador Yoshiaki said:
“Some references to the ALPS treated water made by the Prime Minister were not based on facts.
“The Government of Japan has always provided detailed explanations on this matter to the international community, including Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) members, based on scientific evidence in a transparent manner.
“The Government of Japan has continued these efforts while undergoing the review by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), which is authorised to establish or adopt and apply international safety standards in the field of nuclear energy, under the IAEA Statute and is recognised as the authority on nuclear safety by the PIF Foreign Ministers statement on 15 September.
“The IAEA positively noted that Japan has provided information and has engaged in consultations with the interested parties in Japan and abroad and has conducted significant outreach activities to ensure transparency.
“The Government of Japan has never allowed and will never allow the discharge of the water into the sea that would endanger human health and the marine environment.
“The Government of Japan has been taking measures strictly abiding by relevant international law while giving due consideration to international practice and will continue doing so.
“The Government of Japan has never discharged and will never discharge nuclear waste water that exceeds regulatory standards into the sea as Solomon Islands mentioned.
“The water being discharged is water that is further diluted from ALPS treated water which has been sufficiently purified until the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium is far below the regulatory standard.
“As for tritium, which is found in water discharged from nuclear facilities round the world in normal operation, the concentration level will be one- seventh of the WHO (World Health Organisation) drinking water standard after dilution. To avoid public confusion, it is important to have a correct understanding of the terminology.
“Since February 2022, IAEA officials and international experts selected by the IAEA visited Japan and have conducted a series of Safety Review and a Regulatory Review on the ALPS treated water, based on the TOR (Terms of Reference) between Japan and the IAEA. On July 4th, the IAEA published its Comprehensive Report, summarising the outcome of the review missions from an objective and professional standpoint based on scientific evidence.
“In the report, the IAEA has concluded that (i) the approach to the discharge of the ALPS treated water into the sea and associated activities are consistent with relevant international safety standards, and (ii) the radiological impact on humans and the environment will be negligible. The report also states that additional review and monitoring by the IAEA will continue after the start of discharge.
“The discharge of ALPS treated water started on August 24. The Government of Japan and TEPCO, with the involvement of the IAEA, are conducting monitoring but have not found any anomalies. If an event occurs, such as detection through monitoring of radioactivity levels exceeding standards, appropriate measures will be taken, including not discharging or suspending the discharge.
“The IAEA has confirmed and publicly stated that the level of tritium in the discharged water is below the standards. The Government of Japan will continue to provide necessary information, including the results of monitoring to the international community, which obviously includes PIF members, in a timely and transparent manner and will continue efforts to gain further understanding from the international community regarding the handling of
ALPS treated water.”
