TEPCO Keeps on Betraying

Tokyo Electric Power Company admitted on Monday that there is a leakage of radioactive contaminated water into the sea around First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. This was the first time for the company to announce that, while a lot of accusations had been raised. TEPCO still denies the possibility of flowing to the outer sea. Only the happiest people believe in their words.

TEPCO has been negative on the possibility of the leakage of contaminated water to the sea. Even when the radioactive water was observed in the well along the seaside, the company kept on skeptical about the leakage, saying “There’s no data indicating it.” Only after Nuclear Regulation Authority indicated the possibility of the leakage, TEPCO seriously started investigation of the leakage. If the authority had not deliver that warning, the company would not have followed the issue.

The conclusion of the investigation was that the leakage had actually been occurred. “Ground water with radioactive materials has been flowing into the sea,” told the spokesperson of TEPCO. The radioactive materials are dissolved in the groundwater. The company explained that the groundwater had been mixed with seawater when the tidal level had gotten high. It is unlikely, however, that the specialists in geology missed the possibility of that mixture. TEPCO cannot escape from criticisms on intentional ignorance of the possibility.

TEPCO still tries to minimize the impact of the leakage to the public. “The contaminated water is staying in the port, and have not spread to the outer sea,” its spokesperson insisted. The main reason of that attitude was the necessity of persuading fishermen who were afraid of the impact of the water on sea products in the area. Although the company asked the understanding of fishermen for pouring cleared water used in cooling the broken reactors into the sea, fishermen had rejected that offer with skepticism against complete purification.

TEPCO has no clear plan to stock that used water for coming years. It has built the storage tank enough for 400,000 metric tons, and decided to increase the capacity to the double. Nobody knows whether or not it will be enough. Still, nobody openly talks about the inevitability of discharge to the sea. One thing is clear now. If the company decides it, the issue will not be only about fishery around Fukushima, but about the unprecedented international water pollution. TEPCO is losing the most important thing for them to manage this crisis. It is credibility.