Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance,Refugees

1. On March 19, Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a joint communication from six Special Rapporteurs concerning the situation on the handling of the ALPS treated water at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) (English (PDF) / Japanese (provisional translation) (PDF) ) through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
2. On May 16, the Government of Japan (GoJ) submitted its response (English (PDF) / Japanese (provisional translation) (PDF) ) to the joint communication to the Special Rapporteurs via the OHCHR.
3. The GoJ continues to explain the situation on the handling of ALPS treated water to the international community, in a transparent and courteous manner.

(Reference) ALPS treated water: Water that contained radioactive substances from inside the buildings of TEPCO’s FDNPS, and has been purified and treated through multiple treatment facilities, including ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System), until the concentrations of all radioactive substances besides tritium satisfy the safety regulatory standards. For tritium, the water is significantly diluted with seawater before discharge into the sea so that it fully satisfies safety regulatory standards.

• [note] 6 Special Rapporteurs:
  • Mr. Marcos A. Orellana, Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes
  • Ms. Astrid Puentes Riano, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
  • Mr. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food
  • Ms. Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
  • Ms. Paula Gaviria, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
  • Mr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
• [note] Who are the Special Rapporteurs?
  The Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council and serve in their personal capacities in order to make research and report on specific human rights situations in a country or on specific themes relating to human rights. The view of the Special Rapporteurs is not an official opinion of the United Nations nor its inter-governmental body, the Human Rights Council.