Twelve years ago, a deadly tsunami struck northeastern Japan, damaging a Fukushima nuclear power plant in the process.
Now the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is preparing to release radioactive water into the ocean.
The discharge is expected to take decades to complete. The company is still waiting for the Japanese government to approve of the plan.
The effect of the radiated water on the environment is a concern. China, South Korea, and several Pacific island nations have objectedto the release.
Bob Richmond, director of the University of Hawaiʻi's Kewalo Marine Laboratory, visited Fukushima last year as an expert panelist.
He described the experience as "Hunger Games meets apocalypse and hell."
He said TEPCO currently lacks the information necessary to make a safe plan.
"They say there's no proof it's bad because they have no proof of anything," Richmond told The Conversation.
"Many of the key data points that you would need to do a responsible review of the situation are simply missing."
Richmond explained that the current plan violates several international treaties to improve the quality of the ocean, and it puts the countries around Japan at risk.
"The health of our oceans are severely compromised already. And that means so is the health of the people who depend on the ocean for their survival, culture, ecology and in their economies," Richmond said.
"Adding additional stressors to the ocean right now is exactly what we're trying not to do."
Richmond and his colleagues believe there are better alternatives to discharging the water.
One option is using the accumulated water to make concrete to be used on-site. The concrete could help build a seawall, protect groundwater, and stabilize radioactive soil.
Still, Richmond does not trust TEPCO to follow expert advice. He argued that the Fukushima disaster itself could have been prevented, if not for the company's ignorance.
"A series of very poor decisions on behalf of TEPCO led to this disaster that never should have occurred," he said.
He added that it appears "TEPCO is trying to find a way to get it out of their backyard … It's very difficult to take them seriously."
If the Japanese government agrees to TEPCO's plan, the discharge could begin in a matter of weeks.
This interview aired on The Conversation on July 10, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. This interview was adapted for the web by Emily Tom.
