Fukushima discharge expected to start Thursday, Pacific remains divided

Discharge of treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan is expected to begin on Thursday, August 24, weather and sea conditions permitting. The Japanese government has asked the Tokyo

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Japan pledges long-term support for fisheries during Fukushima plant water release

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday promised his government’s full support for fishing communities during the decades-long process to release treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima

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Japan aims to release treated water from Fukushima this week

The Japanese government has entered the final stage of implementing a plan to release treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. The government is aiming to start

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Cook Islands PM asks partners to get serious about debt and climate financing as economic ministers meet

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says if the region’s donor partners are serious about helping Pacific economies grow and recover, they “have to be serious about looking at changing the rules around financing,

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Japan to start Fukushima water release as early as late August

Japan plans to start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean as soon as late August, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported on Monday, citing unnamed

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Japan turns to livestreamed fish in Fukushima safety campaign

Japan has launched a torrent of advertising campaigns to help convince a sceptical public that releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima plant into the ocean is safe. Details of the

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‘Precautionary principle’ is of utmost importance to us in the Pacific: Forum Chair Brown

As controversial plan by Japan to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant sparked anxiety and anger at home and abroad, the ‘precautionary principle’ is of utmost importance to us in the Pacific

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Seoul back Fukushima water plan, PIF panelist hits back at IAEA decision

South Korea says it believes Japan’s plan to release treated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant will meet international standards, days after a United Nations atomic agency review of the

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Fukushima plan to release water into ocean approved by UN watchdog IAEA

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has approved plans by Japan to release more than 1m tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, despite objections from local fishing

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We Say: Fukushima issue shows Pacific Islands Forum cracks

Since 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has been engaged in slow but steady diplomacy to delay and ultimately halt the planned ocean dumping of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear

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IAEA chief to visit South Korea, Cook Islands, NZ over Japan’s treated nuclear plant water

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to visit South Korea, the Cook Islands and New Zealand in July, regarding the ocean discharge of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear

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IAEA urged not to endorse Japan’s water dumping plan

China urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday not to endorse Japan’s plan to discharge polluted radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific

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Fukushima nuclear plant operator says equipment to release treated wastewater into sea is complete

All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week,

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Japan’s Fukushima wastewater plan is safe, says expert on Pacific islands panel

Fish that swim in treated wastewater from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant would be safe to eat, according to an expert who is part of the Pacific islands scientific panel that criticised Japan’s plan to

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Palau President Whipps supports Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater into Pacific Ocean

Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr is the first Pacific Island country leader to publicly express support for Japan’s plan to release treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific. After meeting with Japan’s

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‘Nuclear not allowed’: PNG’s Marape backtracks on comments

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape has backtracked on his position regarding Japan’s proposed dumping of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. Marape indicated support for the

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Japan sends seawater into tunnel built for Fukushima nuke wastewater discharge

Japan has started sending seawater into an underwater tunnel built to release nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, local media reported on Tuesday. Tokyo

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IAEA: Japan’s measurements of Fukushima treated water accurate and precise

Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS), has demonstrated its capabilities for accurate and precise measurements of the radionuclides present in

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IAEA Task Force issues new report on regulatory aspects of Fukushima water discharge

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Task Force assessing the safety of Japan’s planned discharge of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has issued its latest report. The report

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Fukushima seafood businesses adapt as treated water release looms

With the release of treated water from the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture looming, embattled seafood businesses in the region fear fresh reputational damage to their products, Takaki Tominaga writes. By

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Japan’s fukushima water release plan falls short of full G7 support

Japan has failed to secure unanimous support from the Group of Seven (G7) for its planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean later this year due to opposition

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New images from inside Fukushima reactor spark safety worry

Images captured by a robotic probe inside one of the three melted reactors at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant showed exposed steel bars in the main supporting structure and parts of its thick

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China urges Japan to heed concerns on water disposal

China urges Japan to take seriously the legitimate concerns of all parties, and dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, open, transparent and safe manner, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

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Japan insists release of Fukushima ‘treated’ water is safe

Almost 12 years have passed since the strongest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history resulted in a tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along its north-east coast. As the country prepares to mark the March 11

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