Storage tanks hold treated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, as seen on April 13, 2021. (PHOTO / KYODO NEWS VIA AP)
TOKYO / SEOUL – Japan's nuclear regulator has finished inspecting a newly completed system to release nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, local media reported.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) checked for leaks and other abnormalities on Friday by passing water through the system and inspected the emergency shut-off valves to make sure they function properly, public broadcaster NHK reported.
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) held a rally in central Seoul on Saturday to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan and urge the government to make clear its opposition to Japan's plan
NRA officials have reported no particular problem with the facility's overall performance. The nuclear regulatory body is due to draw up a report on the results in about a week, it said.
If the NRA issues a certificate to the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the system will be ready to operate, it added.
The NRA wrapped up three days of final on-site inspections on Friday. TEPCO completed the construction of the wastewater discharge system on Monday.
Despite ongoing opposition from its neighbors and the Pacific island countries, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific.
Meanwhile, South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) held a rally in central Seoul on Saturday to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan and urge the government to make clear its opposition to Japan's plan.
According to the DP, nearly 100,000 people took part in the rally.
Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the DP, said that if Japan wants to pollute the sea, (the South Korean government) should openly oppose it.
Rep Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the DP, called on South Koreans to unite against Japan's radioactive wastewater discharge plan and join hands to safeguard people's lives.
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"It makes no sense for Japan, a developed country, to risk the lives of people all over the world (by releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the sea)," Cho Han-ki, a citizen who joined the rally, told Xinhua.
Despite ongoing opposition from its neighbors and the Pacific island countries, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.