Press Releases
Video Conference Briefing Session to the Government of the Republic of Korea regarding the handling of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) Treated Water at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
On December 22, a video conference briefing session to the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) was organized regarding the handling of ALPS treated water at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). Director-General KAIFU Atsushi from Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Director-General YUMOTO Keiichi for Nuclear Accident Disaster Response of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and officials from Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Fisheries Agency and TEPCO, on the Japanese side; and Director-General Yun Hyunsoo from Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Scientific Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and officials from Office for Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, on the ROK side, attended the session.
- During the briefing, the Japanese side provided an overview of the application submitted by TEPCO to the NRA on November 14 for approval to amend the implementation plan for FDNPS (including the revised report of Radiological Environmental Impact Assessment), and an overview of the IAEA’s second review of safety aspects of the handling of ALPS treated water conducted from November 14 to 18. These were followed by a Q&A session with those in attendance.
- The Japanese side referred to remarks from the IAEA in the IAEA’s second review in November that the IAEA Task Force’s findings “have been reflected in Japan’s revisions to the plan.” Furthermore, it thoroughly explained that TEPCO’s application is currently under review by the NRA, and that TEPCO would need to go through domestic processes such as pre-service inspections by the NRA, a process for confirming that the facilities installed by TEPCO have been properly installed in accordance with the implementation plan. The Japanese side also stated that it would continue to communicate with the ROK based on scientific evidence.
- All related Ministries and Agencies of the Government of Japan will continue to work together to explain thoroughly the safety of ALPS treated water and the situation of the FDNPS to the international community in a transparent manner.
[NOTE]
ALPS treated water is water which is processed by devices such as ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) to ensure that the concentration of the radioactive materials other than tritium surely meets the regulatory standards for safety. In addition, it is planned that ALPS treated water will then be sufficiently diluted before the discharges into the sea so that radioactive materials including tritium will be far below the regulatory standards for safety.