---
title: "Japan’s Radioactive Water Will Go Into the Ocean or Atmosphere"
description: "It's becoming increasingly likely that Japan's decision will be to dump the radioactive water stored at the Fukushima power plant into the ocean."
date: "2019-12-27"
modified: "2019-12-27"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japans-radioactive-water-ocean-atmosphere"
categories:
  - "Environment"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "environment"
  - "Fukushima"
  - "radiation"
  - "the digest"
---

# Japan’s Radioactive Water Will Go Into the Ocean or Atmosphere

![It's becoming increasingly likely that Japan's decision will be to dump the radioactive water stored at the Fukushima power plant into the ocean.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/japans-radioactive-water-into-ocean-atmosphere.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Bad Ideas

Officials overseeing the crumbled remains of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant have a growing problem: they're running out of space to [store its radioactive water](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/fukushima-overflow-radioactive-water>).

In September, Japan said it might be forced to [dump the contaminated water](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-fukushima-radioactive-water-pacific>) into the ocean. That is quickly becoming more likely, as Korean newspaper [*The Hankyoreh* now reports](<http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/922022.html>) that the only options on the table are dumping the water, evaporating it so it enters the atmosphere, or a combination of both.

## Damage Control

The Japanese government is trying to downplay the potential environmental impact of an ocean dump, carefully referring to the radioactive water as "processed," according to *The Hankyoreh*.

But nuclear energy experts have [warned for months](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/fukushima-water-dangerous-dump>) that dumping the water is too dangerous — suggesting that the government is pursuing the quick and easy solution rather than the safest or least harmful.

## Big Splash

Unfortunately, those warnings may be ignored.

The government recently announced that it had ruled out other methods of containing the water, such as underground storage. And according to *The* *Hankyoreh*, the announcement indicates that the nation is currently leaning toward an ocean dump over a steam release.

That means unless it comes up with a better — or easier — plan, Japan will be dumping 1.7 million tons of contaminated water into the Pacific in the not-so-distant future.

**READ MORE:** [Japan to either dump contaminated water into ocean or release it as steam](<http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/922022.html>) \[*Hankyoreh*\]

**More on Fukushima:** *[Experts: Fukushima Water Is Too Dangerous to Dump Into the Sea](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/fukushima-water-dangerous-dump>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)