Japan discharges 7,900 tonnes of nuclear-tainted wastewater into ocean

The 21st round of ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was completed, the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said on Friday.

The latest release began on July 6 and ended on Friday. A total of 7,894 tonnes of nuclear-tainted wastewater was discharged, containing approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium, according to local media.

Hit by a magnitude-9 earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

Despite concerns and opposition from the international community, Japan unilaterally launched the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the plant into the ocean in August 2023. As of the completion of the 21st round, the cumulative volume released has reached about 165,000 tonnes.

(With input from Xinhua)