By Sakura Murakami

IWAKI Japan (Reuters). – Japanese farmers in the northeastern Fukushima are concerned that the water released from the power plant could cause contamination. It would also increase prices for their products, undoing a decade long process of recovery after the nuclear accident.

Japan will release over 1,000,000 tonnes of Fukushima’s contaminated water into the ocean starting in 2023 to help clean up the area. International authorities are supportive of the plan but there has been concern among neighbours China, South Korea, and local farmers.

Hiroaki Kusano (a local pear farmer) said that while we are just seeing prices return to normal following a large drop in the aftermath of the disaster, “now we have to deal again with potential reputational damage because of the release water.”

The average Fukushima pear price in Tokyo was 506 yen (or $4.43) per kilo last year. This is the result of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market data.

One year later, the prices had fallen to 184 yen per kilo. This was 20% lower than the average price of more that 230 yen in other prefectures.

Fukushima’s produce is subject to multiple radioactivity checks. Farmers screen before shipping, and the prefecture tests it regularly.

Local produce has been subject to a rigorous testing process over the past decade,” Kazuhiro Okazaki, Fukushima’s Agricultural Technology Centre. The centre has been screening produce for radioactive ceium since June 2011.

According to official data, Fukushima grew 13,000 tonnes worth of pears between 2020 and 2021, which made it Japan’s fourth most popular source.

DECOMMISSIONING

The Daiichi plant is being decomissioned as part of a clean-up by operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) expected to take decades https://jp.reuters.com/article/japan-fukushima-anniversary-decommission-idINKBN2B40XF.

Each of the 1,000 tall tanks can be found on site. They hold sufficient radioactive water for around 500 swimming pools. It marks an important milestone in decommissioning, and it will allow for space for cleaning up.

This water will undergo radioactive contamination removal, except for tritium which can’t be removed. Around spring 2023, tritium-contaminated water from the plant will be reduced to international standards. It will then be released into the sea around a kilometre away.

Tepco will reimburse damages resulting from the water leakage, Junichi Matsumoto said, an official in charge of decommissioning. Tepco estimates that it has already paid out a total of 10.1 trillion Japanese yen (roughly $89 billion) for damages resulting from the crisis.

Matsumoto explained that listening to those who were adversely affected by the water release is the first step.

Nuclear plants all over the globe routinely release water containing tritium. There are also concerns about the Fukushima-contaminated water, which has been around for years. Toru Watanabe is a radioactivity researcher from the Fukushima Fisheries and Marine Science Research Center.

“The water was in these tanks for many years. “The water quality needs to be understood thoroughly before it can be released,” he stated.

Once the water is out, farmers claim there isn’t much that they can do. The farmers worry about the tough customers. Japanese buyers are known for being extremely picky and paying attention to quality and origin.

Tomoichi Yoshioka, a pear farmer said that they cannot do more than to keep communicating all the steps we took to make sure our produce is safe. “The consumer is the final judge.”

($1 = 113.6700 yen)