Did The Japanese government promise the fishery officials not to discharge ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant to the sea? No, that's not true: The government promised the fishery officials that they would not dispose of contaminated water without the understanding of those involved. The current position of the Fukushima Fisheries Federation is that the promise has not been broken, but it has not been fulfilled either.
The claim appeared on a TikTok video (archived here) published on August 30, 2023. The text (translated from Japanese to English by Lead Stories staff) reads:
A governor who likes to perform and wants to use fish from Fukushima in his prefecture's cafeterias.
Fisheries officials in Fukushima strongly oppose the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. A promise was made between the government and those involved in the fishing industry, and the government promised not to release it into the ocean. However, the government says it is safe and releases it into the sea. It's a breach of promise.
Even though fisheries officials are telling the government not to do so, the government is saying it's safe to eat Fukushima fish. Are you an idiot?
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Sep 1 12:15:08 2023 UTC)
In 2015, the government and TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company, in charge of the decommissioning process) sent a letter to the Fukushima Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Federation stating that
...We will not take any disciplinary action without the understanding of those in charge...
On August 21, 2023, Prime Minister Kishida held a meeting with the National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations regarding the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea.
During a press conference following the meeting, Prime Minister Kishida remarked:
Mr. Sakamoto (head of the National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations - Zengyoren) said he now had a better understanding on the safety aspect of the discharge...
...He also said that the fisheries industry, whose wish is to achieve the decommissioning of reactors and ensure the continuity of their livelihoods, now has a better understanding of the Government's approach towards maintaining livelihoods in the industry and its response to ensure safety and other matters...
Meanwhile, the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations said that their understanding will be completed once the decommissioning of reactors is safely concluded and the continuity of livelihoods of the fisheries industry at that point is confirmed. ...
They also stated that, at this moment, the fisheries industry, the Government and TEPCO share and advance towards the common objective of reconstruction and decommissioning, and that although the promise has not yet been fulfilled at this point, it has neither been broken.
The dispute, however, has not yet been resolved. On August 24, the Fukushima Fisheries Federation issued the "Fukushima Fisheries Federation Chairman's Comment" regarding the start of ALPS-treated water discharge into the ocean. In the statement, it says,
...It doesn't change in the slightest that we oppose the release of ALPS treated water into the ocean...
