CNN —
Japan on Thursday will begin releasing treated radioactive wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear plant, part of a controversial plan that has sparked fierce objections from some regional countries as well as many consumers.
The country is expected to start discharging the water from 1 p.m. local time (midnight ET), according to state-owned electricity firm Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
During a press conference Thursday morning, TEPCO said it expects to discharge only around 200 or 210 cubic meters of treated wastewater. From Friday, it plans to then continuously release 456 cubic meters of treated wastewater over a 24-hour period and a total of 7,800 cubic meters over a 17-day period.
TEPCO said that the operation would be suspended immediately and an investigation conducted if any abnormalities are detected in the discharge equipment or the dilution levels of the treated wastewater.
It will send a boat later Thursday into the harbor to collect samples to monitor and ensure the discharged treated wastewater meets international safety standards.
Japan’s devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused water within the Fukushima nuclear plant to be contaminated with highly radioactive material. Since then, new water has been pumped in to cool fuel debris in the reactors, while ground and rainwater have leaked in, creating more radioactive wastewater.
The plan to release the water has been in the works for years, with authorities warning in 2019 that space was running out to store the material and they had “no other options” but to release it in a treated and highly diluted form.
While some governments have expressed support for Japan, others have strongly opposed the wastewater release, with many consumers in Asia hoarding salt and seafood amid fears of future contamination.
The US has backed Japan and Taiwan has agreed that the amount of tritium being released should have “minimal” impact.
However, China and the Pacific Islands have been vocal in their opposition, arguing the release could have broad regional and international impact, and potentially threaten human health and the marine environment.
In a briefing Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China was “gravely concerned and strongly opposed” to Japan’s release plan.
Wang said Japan “is extremely selfish and irresponsible, as the discharge will spread the risks of nuclear contamination to its neighboring countries, including China, and the rest of the world, and by doing so, Japan is putting its selfish interests above the long-term wellbeing of people in the region and beyond.”
Some governments have even banned food imports from parts of Japan.
China’s customs department banned imports of food from Fukushima and nine other regions earlier this summer.
Hong Kong on Wednesday said it will ban food products imported from some parts of Japan following the release of the treated water. From Thursday, all live, frozen, chilled, dried, or otherwise preserved seafood products, sea salt and unprocessed or processed seaweed will be prohibited from being imported from cities including capital Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba and Tochigi.
The city is Japan’s second largest export market for seafood outside mainland China, according to Reuters news agency.
Japan argues its plan is safe.
Over the years, the wastewater has been continually treated to filter out all the removable harmful elements, then stored in tanks. Much of the water is treated a second time, according to TEPCO.
When the wastewater is finally released, it will be heavily diluted with clean water so it has only very low concentrations of radioactive material. It will travel through an undersea tunnel about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) off the coast, into the Pacific Ocean.
Third parties will monitor the discharge during and after its release – including the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA has staff stationed in a newly-opened Fukushima office and will monitor the situation for years to come, it said.