A controversial plan by Japan to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant has sparked anxiety and anger at home and abroad. In a nutshell:On March 11, 2011, Japan's strongest earthquake ever struck the seabed and northeastern coast for six terrifying minutes. The tsunami that followed overtopped a sea wall and led to the meltdown of three of the six nuclear reactors that comprise the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant. Within a couple of days and each day since, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) has pumped in sea water to cool fuel rods, and subsequently stored the contaminated water in large tanks — more than 1,000 in fact. Tepco is now seeking permission to slowly discharge that water into the Pacific Ocean over the next 30 years.

Source: CNN July 08, 2023 10:37 UTC