Tokyo-Sana
The Japanese government decided to start releasing massive quantities of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean within two years, a decision that is strongly opposed by local fishermen and residents.
The AP quoted Tokyo Electric Power, the plant operator, as saying that "its storage capacity will reach full capacity by the end of next year."
She added that "the area filled with tanks will have to be liberated to build new facilities, which will be necessary to remove the remnants of molten fuel from inside the reactors."
In turn, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga considered that "the operation of releasing water into the ocean was the most realistic option" and that the disposal of water was "inevitable for the dismantling of the Fukushima plant."
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting after being delayed for years due to safety concerns and protests against it.
The accumulated water had been stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi Station since 2011 when a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged its reactors, contaminated their cooling water and began to leak.