Japan Formally Decides to Release ALPS-Treated Water to Pacific Ocean

On April 13, 2021, PM Yoshihide Suga's government formally decided that ~1.25 million tonnes of ALPS-treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi site would be diluted and discharged into the Pacific Ocean over approximately 30 years. The decision cited running out of storage tank space (tanks were ~96% full and planned capacity was nearly exhausted) and the necessity to proceed with decommissioning. The water, after ALPS treatment, would be diluted to tritium concentrations 40 times below Japan's regulatory limit before release. China, South Korea, and Pacific Island nations protested the decision.