--- title: "UN Approves Japan’s Plan to Dump Radioactive Water Into Ocean" description: "The UN has given Japan the green light to dump into the Pacific Ocean its treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster." date: "2023-07-05" modified: "2023-07-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-un-dump-radioactive-fukushima-water" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Fukushima" - "nuclear disaster" - "pacific ocean" - "the digest" --- # UN Approves Japan’s Plan to Dump Radioactive Water Into Ocean ![The UN has given Japan the green light to dump into the Pacific Ocean its treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster.]() *\Image: Anadolu via Getty / Futurism\* ## Ocean Dump The United Nations has given Japan the green light to dump its [troves of treated radioactive water]() from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster into the Pacific Ocean. As [*Reuters* reports](), the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency [has concluded]() its two-year study into the Fukushima cooling water — which is enough to fill 500 Olympic swimming pools — and found that it would, if released slowly into the ocean, have a "negligible radiological impact to people and the environment." The controversial decision has drawn plenty of scrutiny over the last couple of years and experts are [still debating]() the risks involved. Environmental activist groups like Greenpeace [have warned]() that the company that owns the nuclear power plant didn't go far enough in removing radioactive materials left in the water. Japan, however, claims it has done its homework and has been trying to assuage any concerns. ## Diluting Risks In a press conference in China last month, Japanese officials said that the water has been filtered over the years to remove most radioactive elements except for the hydrogen isotope tritium, which, as the report notes, is difficult to separate from water. The water will continue to be diluted, those officials promised, until tritium levels are below [internationally-approved]() levels. It would also not all be released at once, but would instead be released slowly over a period of 30 to 40 years. ## Naysayers In spite of those assurances, however, detractors are nevertheless concerned about the controversial decision. Chief among those critics is Beijing, which accused Japan of "completely confusing concepts and misleading public opinion" and the UN of hastily releasing its report. "If the Japanese side is bent on going its own way," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement to the press, as quoted by *Reuters*, "it must bear all the consequences." Other groups and countries are concerned about the release of the water too, and as *Reuters* notes, consumers in South Korea have already [begun hoarding sea salt]() and other ocean-based items. Regardless of the UN's go-ahead, Japan will have the final say in the decision — the concluding outcome of a disaster that occurred well over a decade ago. **More on water:** [*Environmentalist Group Files "Criminal Charges" Against Tesla, Accusing It of "Water Pollution"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()