Japan is under global scrutiny for its August 2023 release of nuclear waste into the ocean.
This waste consists of water contaminated with radioactive substances, used to cool the reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco).
However, before disposal, Tepco claims to have processed the wastewater using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), ensuring that the radioactive contamination meets international safety standards.
This was also confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an autonomous body in the field of international nuclear cooperation.
"IAEA experts were on the ground to act as the eyes of the international community, ensuring that Japan's nuclear waste disposal is carried out as planned and consistent with IAEA safety standards," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in a press release on Thursday (August 24, 2023).
"With our presence, the IAEA contributes to building confidence that the process is carried out safely and transparently," he added.
Currently, Japan is the 8th largest nuclear energy producer in the world.
According to IAEA data, in 2022 Japan generated 51.91 terawatt-hours (TWh) of nuclear-based electricity.
However, Japan lags far behind the United States, China, France, Russia, and South Korea, whose nuclear electricity production ranges from 167 to 772 TWh, as shown in the graph above.