--- title: "Japan Approves Play to Dump Radioactive Water Into Ocean" description: "Regulators just gave the Fukushima nuclear plant the green light to release over a million liters of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific ocean." date: "2022-05-18" modified: "2022-05-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-plan-dump-radioactive-water-ocean" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Fukushima" - "Japan" - "radioactive waste" - "the digest" --- # Japan Approves Play to Dump Radioactive Water Into Ocean ![Regulators just gave the Fukushima nuclear plant the green light to release over a million liters of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific ocean.]() *\Image: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Flood Gates Japanese regulators just gave the Fukushima nuclear plant the green light to release around 1.4 million liters of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific ocean starting next year, the [*Associated Press* reports](). While the environmental risks are minimal according to the regulator, there's still plenty of tritium, a potentially carcinogenic byproduct, in the water that could threaten the health of aquatic ecosystems and their neighboring communities and countries. There are a lot of unknowns that make judging the full impact of such a venture difficult to gauge. Notably, there are still some questions about the health impacts of being exposed to low doses of tritium in the long term, according to the *AP*, especially as far as sea life is concerned. ## Radioactive Delay Last year, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga [announced plans]() to dump water contaminating the buildings involved in the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown into the ocean. Officials warned at the time that the plant could run out of space to store the contaminated groundwater, which amounts to 1.4 million liters across 1,000 different tanks. It's been a controversial subject to say the least, with Suga being publicly [challenged to drink]() some of the radioactive wastewater last April. Neighboring countries, including China and South Korea, have also [voiced their discontent]() ever since plans surfaced. The plan is to pump the wastewater through a pipeline to a coastal facility next spring, where it will be diluted with seawater, according to *Reuters*. That mix will then be discharged just over half a mile from shore. **READ MORE:** [Japan OKs plan to release Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater]() \[*AP*\] **More on Fukushima:** *[Photos From Deep Inside Fukushima Reactor Show Horrid Mounds of Radioactive Sludge]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()