Deep Dive: Controversy behind Fukushima nuclear waste water discharge and why Hong Kong is banning Japanese seafood

A Hong Kong ban on seafood imports from 10 prefectures in Japan began last month. This was in response to Tokyo’s decision to release treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Tokyo plans to release 1.32 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water over 30 years. The total amount could fill 500 Olympic swimming pools. This has made countries near Japan concerned about how the waste water could affect the ocean food chain in the long term.

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu demanded the import ban to protect public health and food safety. If someone imports seafood from the 10 prefectures, they could face a HK$100,000 fine and a year in prison.

The ban does not allow imported aquatic products including live, chilled, dried and preserved goods, as well as seaweed products and sea salt. There is no time frame set for the ban, and it partly depends on information from the Japanese government.

Since August, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has been doing more radioactivity tests on seafood caught in Hong Kong waters. Instead of once a month, they are checking it every day. The Observatory will also monitor radiation in the city’s waters once a month, instead of quarterly.

Local authorities will also work to certify restaurants that offer safe seafood. They aim to help diners be more confident that what they are eating is safe from radioactivity.

Meanwhile, some Japanese people living in Hong Kong are not concerned about seafood safety. One said that the controversy had become “very political”.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency has approved [Japan’s plan]. According to some scientific studies, China has released more radioactive [material] than what Japan will release,” a Japanese resident of the city told the Post.

Kyodo News reported that the amount of radioactive tritium in waste water from Chinese nuclear plants in 2021 was much more than the tritium that is allowed to be released from the Fukushima plant in one year.
Staff writers, Kyodo

Question prompts

1. Which of the following food products are listed in Hong Kong’s recent ban on imports from 10 areas of Japan?
(1) seaweed snacks
(2) bottled fish sauce
(3) canned seafood products
(4) frozen meat and poultry products

A. (1), (2) and (3) only
B. (1), (2) and (4) only
C. (1), (3) and (4) only
D. (2), (3) and (4) only

2. List ONE reason for Hong Kong’s ban on seafood imports from certain parts of Japan and ONE against it.

3. Besides the ban, what are TWO other ways the Hong Kong government is addressing concerns about the Fukushima waste water release?

What we know about Fukushima nuclear plant’s water release

Question prompts

1. According to the chart, what are the primary ways for humans to come into contact with radioactive materials from discharged waste water?
(1) direct skin contact
(2) inhalation of air from the sea
(3) consumption of crops grown in contaminated soil
(4) consumption of contaminated seafood

A. (1), (2) and (3) only
B. (1), (2) and (4) only
C. (1), (3) and (4) only
D. (2), (3) and (4) only

2. According to the chart, how could the discharge plan affect humans on a daily basis?

Japan decries China harassment over Fukushima water release after brick thrown at embassy

Question prompts

1. What does wasabi feel like when you eat it? Why do you think the sushi chef in this cartoon is comparing wasabi to seafood from Fukushima?

2. What does the cartoon suggest about Hong Kong people’s reaction to Japan’s wastewater discharge plan?

The Lens: Japan’s Fukushima waste water release raises concerns

• The UN’s nuclear watchdog has approved of the waste water discharge, saying plans are “consistent with global safety standards”

• Some scientists are concerned about releasing radioactive waste water into the ocean

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant a green light in July after a two-year review, saying the country’s plans were consistent with global safety standards.

“IAEA notes the controlled, gradual discharges of the treated water to the sea ... would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment,” wrote agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi in a safety review report published in July.

IAEA is also maintaining an on-site presence at the plant and started a live tracker on August 24 of data, which includes the concentration of diluted tritium, discharge flow rate and radiation monitoring.

Tritium is one of two chemicals that Japan’s advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) is unable to filter out and has been the focus of the debate over the safety of the discharged waste water.

While some scientists support this approach on the grounds that the tritium to be released is not detrimental to human or environmental health, there are also scientists opposing it.

According to data from Japan’s Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), about 70 per cent of ALPS-treated water still contained radioactive substances other than tritium by the end of 2020, and needed to be repurified.

According to documents from the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the filtering process will remove strontium-90 and iodine-129, and the concentration of carbon-14 in the contaminated water is far lower than its regulatory standard for discharge.

The US-based National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML), which represents more than 100 labs, released a paper in December 2022 that opposed Japan’s plan over “a lack of adequate and accurate scientific data” about its safety.

According to NAML, Japan has not adequately explored other options to store and dispose of the waste and the effectiveness of the ALPS treatment “remains a serious concern”.

In an interview with the US National Public Radio, marine radiochemist Ken Buesseler from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution explained his concern that non-tritium radioactivity missed by ALPS could accumulate near the shore. He added that it would be better to explore other options, such as mixing the waste water into concrete.
Staff writers, Reuters, IAEA

Question prompts

1. Which of the following reasons for the controversy over Japan’s plan are mentioned in Issue?
(1) presence of radioactivity in the waste water
(2) lack of approval from an internationally recognised group
(3) insufficient scientific evidence supporting the safety of the release

A. (1) and (2) only
B. (1) and (3) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. all of the above

2. Based on Issue, list TWO concerns some scientists have about the discharged water.

3. Based on News and Issue, how far do you agree with Hong Kong’s ban on seafood from the 10 prefectures in Japan?

Hong Kong announces ban on Japanese seafood imports

1. 10 prefectures: coastal prefectures considered high risk by Hong Kong authorities. Hong Kong’s ban on imported aquatic products applies to 10 metropolitan areas and prefectures of Japan: Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama.

2. advanced liquid processing system: or ALPS, refers to the filtration process to remove radioactive material from nuclear plant waste water. It is meant to treat the water until it satisfies safety standards for all radioactive materials other than tritium.

3. Fukushima nuclear power plant: a disabled nuclear plant in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture. The plant suffered major damage from an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. It destroyed the plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt, and the contaminated cooling water was mixed with groundwater. In 2021, the Japanese government decided to discharge the treated water gradually into the sea.

4. International Atomic Energy Agency: or IAEA, the world’s central intergovernmental forum that works for the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. It will monitor Japan’s waste water discharge.

5. tritium: a by-product of nuclear power plants which may present a radiation hazard if ingested in large doses. The first discharge of waste water from Fukushima on August 24 contained about 63 becquerels of tritium per litre, which is below the World Health Organization drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels per litre. A becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.

Why Hong Kong ban on Japan seafood is needed (letters)

News
1. A
2. The ban is a response to Tokyo’s decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. There have been concerns about the long-term effects on the ocean food chain and the potential impact on public health and food safety. One reason against the ban is that power plants in China have released more radioactive material than what the one in Fukushima will release. (accept all reasonable answers)
3. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has increased their radioactivity tests on seafood caught in Hong Kong waters. The Observatory will also monitor radiation in the city’s waters more often.

Chart
1. B
2. Humans could be exposed to radioactive materials through daily activities like water sports, and consumption of seafood contaminated by Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater. It poses a risk to food safety and human health. (accept all reasonable answers)

Cartoon
1. Wasabi can feel like it is burning. I think the chef might be comparing it to a “burn” from radioactivity in the discharged Fukushima wastewater. (accept other reasonable answers)
2. The cartoon suggests that Hong Kong people may have concerns or doubts about the safety of seafood originating from Fukushima, as indicated by the customer’s inquiry. (accept all reasonable answers)

Issue
1. B
2. The first concern is the potential presence of other radioactive substances besides tritium that ALPS couldn’t filter out. Another one is the long-term consequences on the environment and human health due to the discharge of radioactively contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.
3. I agree to some extent because the plan poses environmental and health hazards and harms public health and food safety. While the IAEA may be an authoritative international organisation with expertise in nuclear safety, there have been concerns regarding the potential long-term consequences of such a release. But I think Hong Kong should adjust its response based on its testing of the seafood from Japan. (accept all reasonable answers)