Japan releases 3rd round of treated nuclear waste into sea

A Japanese power firm said on Monday that it has completed the release of the third round of treated nuclear water into the sea from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, Jiji Press reported.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) said it has released 7,800 tons of water containing radioactive substances into the Pacific in the last round.

It said that the water was released about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) off the Fukushima Prefecture coastline in northeastern Japan, near the power plant that was affected by the 2011 meltdown.

The water -- processed through a system that removes radioactive substances, except tritium, and diluted with seawater -- was discharged via an undersea tunnel.

Similar to the previous two years, TEPCO plans to discharge a total of 54,600 tons of treated water in seven phases during the current fiscal year, continuing through next March.

The amount of tritium being discharged has also been increased compared to the previous year.

Since the start of the water release program in August 2023, both TEPCO and the Japanese government have conducted regular monitoring, finding that tritium levels in seafood and seawater remain well below national regulatory limits.

Following the release of treated radioactive water from the power plant in 2023, China imposed a complete ban on Japanese seafood imports before agreeing to resume them in May.

South Korea has also banned all seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima in 2013, due to concerns over radiation contamination.