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China nuclear plants released tritium above Fukushima level in 2022, document shows

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Qinshan plant, for one, discharged around 202 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2022.

That's for a year, on the other hand Japan's crippled power plant there are time they discharged that same amount not in one year but in one hour.

Just check it here:

https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-plant/qa-whats-going-on-at-japans-crippled-nuclear-power-plant-idUSL3E7KR1FN20110927/

-37 ( +10 / -47 )

Chinese nuclear power plants released wastewater containing tritium in 2022 at levels up to nine times higher than the amount expected to be found in the planned annual discharge from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi complex,

Nine times more tritium than that released in Fukushima.

Clearly, this shows the Chinese to be complete hypocrites. Their endless pollution of the oceans with radioactivity and chemicals is shocking.

Any criticism of Japan from China was 100% political - fact. Boycott ALL products from China.

26 ( +39 / -13 )

sakurasuki or Fighto! I don't know what to do or believe.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

This is a dead cat article to distract from the Fukushima water release. Nice try.

-24 ( +10 / -34 )

@buffalo China has valid concern, they admitted that they found fishes that way above legal limit. So they can't ensure that ALL SEAFOOD are safe however they pushed other countries to take seafood from area where tainted water being dumped.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/24/fukushima-fish-with-180-times-legal-limit-of-radioactive-cesium-fuels-water-release-fears

-33 ( +2 / -35 )

Now China will have to ban its own seafood products.

25 ( +30 / -5 )

There is an old saying that when the finger of accusation points, three fingers point back to the accuser. It happens to be true.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

people here have been saying this for years - to deaf ears apparently.

same for the uk and the us and france and south korea for decades.

japanese tritium is special though, right? it’s not cute and cuddly tritium.

12 ( +15 / -3 )

Japan and China act like children pointing fingers at each other. Lets go sit in a corner till you can play well together. Sadly Japan will be on the losing end with a shrinking economy and less presence around the world. Instead of trying to make another country look bad how about reflect on your own actions and improve yourself so that other counties will want to continue to work with you vs a growing and stronger economic super power of China.

-18 ( +5 / -23 )

sakurasuki

Qinshan plant, for one, discharged around 202 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2022.

That's for a year, on the other hand Japan's crippled power plant there are time they discharged that same amount not in one year but in one hour

Irrelevant, the article compares the annual discharge of the Fukushima treated water which has been inaccurately criticised by the CCP to that of the annual discharge of a Chinese plant which is way higher but the CCP are strangely silent about. As are all those little pinks who have been busy amplifying the CCP’S lying propaganda.

factchecker

This is a dead cat article to distract from the Fukushima water release. Nice try.

Misleading comment to distract from the truth that China has been spreading falsehoods and misrepresenting the facts for its malign political purposes. Nice try.

17 ( +22 / -5 )

It's just as has been discussed on here several times: China is a hypocrite and its seafood ban is purely political. And let's remember that these are official Chinese figures, meaning that the real figure is certainly much higher.

BertieWoosterToday 07:39 am JST

There is an old saying that when the finger of accusation points, three fingers point back to the accuser. It happens to be true.

No, it happens to be an old saying. Nothing more.

リッチToday 07:53 am JST

Japan and China act like children pointing fingers at each other.

No, Japan is an adult that is conducting this release with full transparency, together with the IAEA and international community.

In contrast, China is the world's biggest polluter, uses economic warfare for its malign political aims, and even causes a global pandemic then lies about it (we're still waiting for that full investigation, Xi).

The two countries are like night and day.

22 ( +27 / -5 )

This is it. We seriously need to put an end to China's world conquest ambitions. We must absolutely refuse anything and everything "Made in China", because their main power lies in economy, and if we strip China off its economic power, then China will become powerless. Folks, let's fend China off!

13 ( +17 / -4 )

Hypocrisy from China. Again. As expected. They have no shame.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

@theFu I hope you don't use a smartphone, made in China...?

-12 ( +0 / -12 )

Wow.... Pot, kettle, black! China.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

This article definitely requires a 'fact check', sounds a lot like sour grapes to me.

-9 ( +4 / -13 )

The only surprising thing about this is that there are people surprised by this.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

The Japanese government said the Fukushima nuclear power plant was releasing about 2.2 trillion becquerels of tritium annually before it suffered meltdowns following a devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March 2011.

The numbers they are talking about are both BEFORE the Fukushima disaster. China released more BUT both numbers were within safety limits even though they were measured in trillions...

If you care to look at the numbers AFTER Fukushima blew up you will see why China saw an easy way to punish Japan for following the US and its anti China policies.

-9 ( +4 / -13 )

The numbers they are talking about are both BEFORE the Fukushima disaster.

I can see one number (2.2 trillion) of the amount released before, but what is the other amount you speak of here?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

China nuclear plants released tritium above Fukushima level in 2022, document shows

Chinese nuclear power plants released wastewater containing tritium in 2022 at levels up to nine times higher than the amount expected to be found in the planned annual discharge from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi complex, a public document showed Saturday.

As we can all see the headline and first paragraph contradict each other.

The level of tritium released within a year by Fukushima hasn't been evaluated

A bit ridiculous to try and compare future decades worth of contaminated water dumping in the ocean from the Fukushima disaster to China’s annual discharge of cooling water from operational plants.

Japan constantly makes announcements with no proof to sustain them or no plan to effectively accomplish them.

Nobody should be dumping anything into the ocean

And China isn't to be trusted anyway.

-15 ( +1 / -16 )

Now if Japan wasn't dumping radioactive water into the ocean and still burning household waste then China would really look bad

This just looks like Japanese finger pointing and quite infantile

Japan is very good at some things , however protecting the environment and responsibly handling refuse aren't well understood

-18 ( +3 / -21 )

I wouldn't trust the Chinese government on anything.

If they said it was a sunny day, I would go to the window and check.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

Meanwhile, in the anti-China brigade of whiners headquarters...

https://tenor.com/view/children-chaos-out-of-control-riot-kids-at-home-gif-23843900

LOL

-13 ( +2 / -15 )

Mr GoodmanToday 09:31 am JST

Japan constantly makes announcements with no proof to sustain them

The proof comes from the IAEA and its independent monitoring (though JT's resident pro-China/anti-Japan posters still cry conspiracy, as their masters command):

https://www.iaea.org/topics/response/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-accident/fukushima-daiichi-alps-treated-water-discharge

or no plan to effectively accomplish them.

The water release plan is here (amongst other places):

https://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommission/progress/watertreatment/index-e.html

The decommissioning plan is here (amongst other places):

https://www.meti.go.jp/english/earthquake/nuclear/decommissioning/index.html

Now if Japan wasn't dumping radioactive water into the ocean

ALPS removes/reduces to safe levels the harmful radionuclides before release. The remaining tritium is 6-7 times lower than the World Health Organization's drinking water standards. This is verified by the IAEA.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2359217-fukushima-the-inside-story-of-the-alps-treated-water/

And China isn't to be trusted anyway.

100% agree.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

China is a big place. Also, Chinese nuclear power plants have never experienced a nuclear melt down.

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

China is a big place.

So?

Also, Chinese nuclear power plants have never experienced a nuclear melt down.

And even after a disaster, the Japanese nuclear power plants are polluting less than the Chinese ones. That must the point you are trying to make here.

16 ( +17 / -1 )

Please tell me anyone surprised about how dirty China is.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

But, if "tritium itself is safe" as IAEA or Japan insist, no matter how many amount China dump it, cannot criticize them.

If tritium is also danger, all nuclear plants in whole world are danger bigger or smaller.

Dangerousness of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water that directly cooled nuclear debris unlike many other nuclear plants is that it contains many kinds of radioactivity such as strontium90, ruthenium106, technetium99, cesium137, plutonium239, cadmium113 besides tritium.

If "document" make public eyes distract it to tritium issue, it's deceptive.

-11 ( +1 / -12 )

as always, whatever china people is doing, it is full of ethics and good for human. whatever Western / Japan is doing, it is super evil and villain. This is the mentality of all the china people i encountered, no matter they are communist follower or not. Trust me, they have been brainwashed since they are kids, and scientific or solid prove cannot easily wake them up

6 ( +9 / -3 )

buffaloToday  06:46 am JST

sakurasuki or Fighto! I don't know what to do or believe.

You honestly don't know whether to believe the CCP or the IAEA and the entire world?

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Aaaaand the international pro nuclear power industry spokesperson has arrived. You obviously have much more confidence in the info coming out of Fukushima than the average bear. Bless you. At least you are consistent is defending the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

And even after a disaster, the Japanese nuclear power plants are polluting less than the Chinese ones.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

propaganda and fake news as usual. what else??

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Aaaaand the international pro nuclear power industry spokesperson has arrived.

Not at all pro nuclear power. In fact, I am opposed to it.

At least you are consistent is defending the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

No. It should be criticized... but not because of Chinese political motivation. So I'm just ridiculing your points.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

propaganda and fake news as usual.

What is "fake news", comrade indigo? The numbers China itself released in its China Nuclear Energy Yearbook? Interesting to hear that straight from the horse's mouth.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

The level of tritium released within a year by Fukushima hasn't been evaluated

Of course it has, the tritium concentration is measured before release. The measurements and the amounts released are public: It was roughly 3.66 TBq for the three releases in 2023 (far less than the projected 22 TBq/year, by the way).

4 ( +4 / -0 )

It seems to be difficult to justify dumping radioactive contaminated water unless citing even totalitarian state.

In the first place, Fukushima contamnated water issue is that over tens kinds radioactive materials are contained even after "ALPS" filtering, and dumping it to ocean during decades, it's never "tritium issue".

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Deflection from the Fukushima tritium releases I see.

China and Japan just two cheeks of the same bottom.

-12 ( +1 / -13 )

@theFu I hope you don't use a smartphone, made in China...?

I do not. Actually, I don't have any cell phone plan for my Taiwanese phone. It is more like a 5 inch tablet. And I haven't been to China since 2008. No intention of every going back again, unless the CCP is gone. They already know far too much about me from their hacking of USGovt documentation on employees and contractors.

China is full of liter and waste just dumped on the streets. Somehow this is tolerated. They do the same to their air, streams, rivers, and the ocean. Something is wrong if they still don't think being clean is worth having and enforcing laws about clean air, clean water, and clean streets. Nuclear waste is just 1 more thing that China needs to learn to address safely.

Hopefully, they don't take too long and Chinese children born today don't have shorter lifespans due to all the pollution allowed.

While the optics on pollution are important, actually making real, measurable, progress towards a clean environment for everyone is more important. New studies are showing higher death rates in people with more micro-plastics in their bodies. Considering that Chinese drink beer from plastic bags, I'd be worried.

It isn't just China that needs to learn these things.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Any criticism of Japan from China was 100% political - fact.

Correct, just like Japan's criticism of China

Boycott ALL products from China.

LOL.... So basically go live in a shed in the mountains and not buy anything?

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

China nuclear plants released tritium above Fukushima level in 2022, document shows

Chinese nuclear power plants released wastewater containing tritium in 2022 at levels up to nine times higher than the amount expected to be found in the planned annual discharge from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi complex, a public document showed Saturday.

Expected to be ?

Planned ?

As we can all see the headline and first paragraph contradict each other.

Japan constantly makes announcements with no proof to sustain them

What the say they will do or plan to do doesn't mean diddly squat !

The proof comes from the IAEA and its independent monitoring (though JT's resident pro-China/anti-Japan posters still cry conspiracy, as their masters command):

Isabel what on earth are you blathering about ? - There's no definitive proof to ascertain exactly how much tritium will be released in a 12 month period , only a guesstimate because it hasn't actually happened yet.

Therefore the headline is false

Whatever the conspiracy theorists or other parties are squabbling about doesn't interest me .

There's no facts available as to how much tritium will or has been released that's verifiable , so attempting to compare with China is moot.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

In the first place, Fukushima contamnated water issue is that over tens kinds radioactive materials are contained even after "ALPS" filtering, and dumping it to ocean during decades, it's never "tritium issue".

Exactly yes

It isn't just tritium

It's not just cooling water

Thankyou

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Bogus claims, clearly someone who has not visited China is the past decade or two.

China is full of liter and waste just dumped on the streets. Somehow this is tolerated. They do the same to their air, streams, rivers, and the ocean.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

If one does not know exactly what we are talking about, here is a link below in French explaining simply about tritium discharges from nuclear plants.

It is not about the amount of Becquerel released, all is about dilution since radioactivity is also a natural phenomenon.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.asn.fr/Media/Files/Les-rejets-de-tritium-des-centrales-nucleaires&ved=2ahUKEwig1LnVkumEAxWfUqQEHTrcDDgQFnoECCcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3Z7bYitVSOIS9-N0WoTDhr

This article has no meaning since there is no effect on pollution, with radioactivity levels remaining below international health standards under IAEA, until proven otherwise.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-finds-japans-plans-to-release-treated-water-into-the-sea-at-fukushima-consistent-with-international-safety-standards

Be enlightened, be scientific !

2 ( +2 / -0 )

deanzaZZRToday 12:33 pm JST

At least you are consistent is defending the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

No-one here is defending the nuclear disaster. They are defending Japan's transparent water release since the disaster.

4123Today 01:28 pm JST

In the first place, Fukushima contamnated water issue is that over tens kinds radioactive materials are contained even after "ALPS" filtering, and dumping it to ocean during decades, it's never "tritium issue".

As I said, the radionuclides (actually 62, not 10) are removed/reduced to safe levels by ALPS. The issue is the tritium, and that's why the water is diluted so that tritium levels are 6-7 times lower than the WHO's drinking water standard. If you don't trust the IAEA for whatever reason that's entirely up to you, but please do not post misinformation.

https://www.iaea.org/topics/response/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-accident/fukushima-daiichi-alps-treated-water-discharge/faq

ALPS is a pumping and filtration system, which uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from contaminated water. However, ALPS is not able to remove tritium from the contaminated water.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Mr GoodmanToday 03:04 pm JST

Isabel what on earth are you blathering about ? - There's no definitive proof to ascertain exactly how much tritium will be released in a 12 month period , only a guesstimate because it hasn't actually happened yet.

I never gave a figure for the yearly amount: it depends on exactly how much water is released. But it stands to reason that if the water being released each time is safe (and far cleaner than that being released by China, which is the topic of the article), then the plan is safe.

The IAEA has already stated that the plan will have a "negligible radiological impact on people and the environment." See page 7 (Director General’s Foreword), amongst many other references:

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/iaea_comprehensive_alps_report.pdf

5 ( +5 / -0 )

China is full of liter and waste just dumped on the streets. Somehow this is tolerated. They do the same to their air, streams, rivers, and the ocean. Something is wrong if they still don't think being clean is worth having and enforcing laws about clean air, clean water, and clean streets. Nuclear waste is just 1 more thing that China needs to learn to address safely.

exactly, 6 months working time in china actually make my health deteriorate, and that is the most regrettable career path in my life. go out and look up the sky, you see white cloud and shinning sun. Trust me, you wont see this simple thing in china, it will be super duper hyper amazing for you to see the white cloud and sun in china, no matter which city you are in. a truly sad and depressing country

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@sakurasuki

That's for a year, on the other hand Japan's crippled power plant there are time they discharged that same amount not in one year but in one hour.

Just check it here:

https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-plant/qa-whats-going-on-at-japans-crippled-nuclear-power-plant-idUSL3E7KR1FN20110927/

I just read the Reuters article. Unless if there is a typo in either JT's article or Reuters', then I think you misread the numbers

From Reuters:

Tepco said that the Daiichi reactors were emitting about 200 million becquerels of radiation per hour as of mid-September, about one four-millionths of the amount seen in the days after the March 11 disaster.

It's 200 million, not trillion. So in a year it should be: 200mil 24 (hour) 365 (day) = 1.752 trillions

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Tritium has a half life of 12 days. As sources of radiation go, it is one of the least dangerous. Not all sources of radiation are equal.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

One has got to laugh at China's hypocrisy!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Where are all those countries that agreed with China over the Japanese releases now? They should be screaming most loudly over what China is doing to their oceans. Especially, NK and the SK people (the SK govt was ok with the releases, as was Taiwan and The Philippines).

China should ban their caught seafood.

deanzaZZR Today 04:04 pm JST Bogus claims, clearly someone who has not visited China is the past decade or two.

I don't need to visit to see the dirty air, dirty streets and dirty waterways. It can be seen daily in posts by people living in that. Of course, there are exceptions. Certainly there are clean streets. But the air over most Chinese cities is dangerous and easily seen. Same for the streams and rivers.

Ref https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4486180 The Future of Chinese Rivers: Increasing Plastics, Nutrients and Cryptosporidium Pollution in Half of the Basins

Ref: https://phys.org/news/2023-12-china-air-pollution-worsens-decade.html China air pollution worsens in 2023, first time in decade. "2023 is the first year that China's national average PM2.5 level has increased year-on-year since the beginning of China's 'war on pollution' in 2013," ... PM2.5 particles, if inhaled, can have serious health risks, linked to premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease, as well as a host of breathing and other health issues, CREA said on Friday that 80 percent of provincial capitals, including Beijing, recorded increased PM2.5 levels in 2023 compared to a year ago. As for dirty streets, it is easy to find over-the-top examples, but let's be honest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaYIBi6mZy8 This guy is just walking next to a small river in his part of Guangzhou. There's litter in the river, on the grass and in the walkways/streets. Be certain to look at the sky too - it is gray.

That's pollution everyone can see. Nuclear pollution isn't seen, so it is out of mind.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

 But the air over most Chinese cities is dangerous and easily seen.

Transited through Guangzhou back in 2016 and watching planes leave the ground and immediately and completely disappear into smog was incredible. Not fog, mist or low cloud... smog. Japan isn't perfect, but I've never seen anything like that here.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Falsehood that pretend as if Tepco is dumping only tritium from Fukushima despite after meltdown is rampant.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

That's for a year, on the other hand Japan's crippled power plant there are time they discharged that same amount not in one year but in one hour.

Just check it here:

https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-plant/qa-whats-going-on-at-japans-crippled-nuclear-power-plant-idUSL3E7KR1FN20110927/

No, that article reports "200 million becquerels of radiation per hour".

The amount per hour is in millions, the yearly comparisons are in TRILLIONS.

Not good news either way, but I wanted to point out that difference for accuracy's sake, at least.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Uranium and plutonium have half-lives in the tens of thousands of years. The nuclear melt-down material inside Fukushima will be deadly many tens of thousands of years from now.

Tritium, an isotope of Hydrogen, is, I imagine, a byproduct of the energy production inside nuclear power plants, as water is used to cool down and slow down the nuclear reactions. At Fukushima, the water is used to prevent further meltdown of the nuclear cores. The water is bombarded with radiation, and one of the results is tritium.

With a half life of 12 days, if the water in the nuclear facility is stored for a long time before being released, it should have a much reduced amount of tritium and the associated radiation. So, my question is, is the amount of tritium present measured at the time the water gets released into the ocean? If so, and if the amount is still very, very high, then that is significant, and should be taken into consideration. The amount of radiation still present inside Fukushima power plant must be extremely high and dangerous.

However, my understanding is that the tritium level in the water released into the ocean is not dangerous. If true, then that should end the discussion. It is not radioactive, enriched uranium being released into the environment, but much less dangerous tritium.

Seems to me that if those in charge of the decision to release the Fukushima water into the ocean believe that what they are doing is safe, then they should hold press conferences where they freely drink the water. That is, if they believe what they are doing is safe.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Japan can compare itself to China and even expose some of the CCP's environmental abuses, but the CCP couldn't care less.

Whenever I've visited China, the industrial and commercial pollution in both the northern and southern regions has been downright shocking. It's not just me; a friend deeply involved in exporting from there shares the same sentiment. We've seen it firsthand. And you know what's really got me thinking? The sheer number of Chinese leaving the country. It's got me wondering about the state of governance over there.

Plus, let's not even get started on transparency. It's like pulling teeth to get any real info out of the CCP, especially when it comes to environmental issues. They're masters of dodging the tough questions.

And let's face it, with the CCP's track record of spreading its influence and squashing dissent in places like Australia, Africa, Tibet, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow. They've got this nonchalant attitude towards other countries' sovereignty that's frankly alarming. So, when it comes to things like nuclear waste and territorial disputes, it's like they just flick it away like it's nothing.

Besides, China is headed toward a massive economic decline. It will be interesting to watch.

Scary stuff, right?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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