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Japan plans to release into the ocean the 1.33 million metric tons of radioactive water stored in tanks, shown here, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant over the course of 30 years. (AP/Yonhap)

The Japanese government is reportedly adjusting its plan for the ocean release later this month of around 1.33 million metric tons of radioactively contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to decide on the final release date following a scheduled trilateral summit with South Korea in the US on Aug. 18. Analysts saw the move as intended to actively enlist support from Seoul and Washington at a time when many in and around Japan are voicing concerns about the dumping plan.

In a report Monday citing numerous Japanese government officials, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the government had “made arrangements to begin discharging treated water from the Fukushimia No. 1 nuclear plant [. . .] into the ocean as early as late August.”

It also said Kishida was “expected to make a final decision on the specific timing of the discharge at a ministerial meeting [. . .] after Kishida returns from the United States on Aug. 20. He will be attending a trilateral summit meeting of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Aug. 18.”

Commenting on the release timeline, a high-ranking Japanese government official told the newspaper that the administration “hopes to avoid beginning the release in September when trawl fishing begins off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture.”

In a regular press conference that day, Hirokazu Matsuno, the chief cabinet secretary and Japanese government spokesperson, reiterated Tokyo’s previous position, stressing that there had been “no change” in the government’s plan to discharge the water “around summer.”

He added that the exact date would be “decided after the government has examined the situation in terms of establishing security and measures against reputational damage.”

Kishida is also expected to meet in the near future with representatives from Japan’s National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, which is opposed to the water’s release in the ocean, and request their understanding.

Once a final decision is made on the release date, at least a week is expected to be needed for preparations. Because of that, the release is seen as very likely to begin during the last week of August, although it could be delayed until early September depending on weather conditions and other factors.

During the South Korea-US-Japan summit scheduled to take place in Camp David near Washington, DC, on Aug. 18, Kishida plans to meet individually with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden to elicit their support regarding the release of the contaminated water by explaining that science assures the safety of the process. This allows for the interpretation that Japan intends to take advantage of the upcoming trilateral summit in order to release the irradiated water into the ocean as planned.

Japanese outlets are sharing the analysis that Japan has decided to announce the water-release date after the South Korea-US-Japan summit “out of consideration for the South Korean government.” The Asahi Shimbun wrote, “If the date is set before the summit, Yoon’s response to Kishida during the meeting would become a focus of attention and could deal a blow to the South Korean government ahead of a general election next year.”

Other analysts say Japan is trying to demonstrate that South Korea, the US and Japan are responding jointly to China, which strongly opposes the plan to release the irradiated water. Opposing the plan, the Chinese government has been examining all seafood imports from Japan for radioactivity since July.

The Japanese government plans to lower the concentration of radioactive material in the irradiated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant to below the legal limit in order to release it into the ocean over 30 to 40 years. Notably, tritium, which the Advanced Liquid Processing System cannot remove, will be diluted to a concentration one-fortieth of the legal limit before the water is released into the ocean.

Regarding the ocean release date of the irradiated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the South Korean government stated, “Naturally, the matter is one for the relevant country [Japan] to decide.”

After making this statement on Monday during a daily briefing on the radioactive water, Park Ku-yeon, the first vice minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, remarked, “Regarding the release date, though references to it have been made in the media a few times, it has not become a point of intergovernmental discussion yet.”

By Kim So-youn, Tokyo correspondent

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