OREANDA-NEWS The Japanese authorities will continue to inform China and Russia about the situation around the discharge of radiation-free water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the ocean in order to achieve the lifting of restrictions on the supply of Japanese seafood. This was announced at a regular press conference in Tokyo by Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

"We will continue to carefully and transparently explain to China, Russia and other countries Japan's actions to discharge purified water into the ocean using the ALPS system, as well as provide monitoring results, etc. We call for the immediate lifting of restrictions on imports of Japanese food products," she said, noting that Japan considers such measures deplorable.

In March 2011, a tsunami strike disabled power and cooling installations at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, which led to the melting of nuclear fuel in three reactors, the destruction of their hulls, explosions and the release of large amounts of radioactive substances. By now, the territory of the station and the surrounding areas have been practically cleared. However, water is constantly poured into destroyed reactors to cool fragments of nuclear fuel, which flows out through gaps with strong radioactive contamination.

Currently, over 1.34 million tons of water have accumulated on the territory of the NPP. In this regard, the Japanese government has decided to gradually discharge purified water into the ocean. This operation will last for 30-40 years. The water is being treated, but it still contains tritium, which cannot be removed. It is also diluted with seawater. The maximum permissible concentration of tritium is 1.5 thousand becquerels per liter. Measurements carried out in the ocean by the Japanese authorities and the IAEA confirm compliance with the specified parameters. Currently, the station is already undergoing the fourth stage of water discharge, within which, as in the previous stages, it is planned to discharge about 7.8 thousand tons in batches not exceeding 500 tons per day.