Page 6 - aruba-today-20230705

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 5 July 2023

U.N. nuclear agency endorses Japan’s plan to release treated

radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean

By MARI YAMAGUCHI but tritium, which is insepa-
Associated Press rable from water. It then
TOKYO (AP) — The U.N. nu- will be diluted by 100 times
clear agency gave its en- with seawater before it is
dorsement on Tuesday to released. But Haruhiko Ter-
Japan’s planned release of asawa, head of the Miyagi
treated radioactive waste- prefectural fisheries coop-
water into the sea from the eratives, said they will con-
damaged Fukushima nu- tinue to oppose the release
clear plant, saying it meets while concerns remain.
international standards “The treated water is not a
and its environmental and problem that ends after a
health impact would be single time or a year of re-
negligible. lease, but lasts as long as
The plan is opposed by 30-40 years, so nobody can
groups in South Korea, Chi- predict what might hap-
na and some Pacific Island pen,” he told TV Asahi.
nations because of safety Japan has sought the
concerns and political rea- IAEA’s support to gain
sons. Local fishing organiza- credibility for the plan. Ex-
tions are worried that their perts from the U.N. agency
reputation will be dam- and 11 nations have made
aged even if their catch Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, left, presents several trips to Japan since
isn’t contaminated. IAEA’s comprehensive report on Fukushima Treated Water Release to Japanese Prime Minister early 2022 to examine
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Fumio Kishida, right, at the prime minister’s office Tuesday, July 4, 2023 in Tokyo. preparations by the gov-
head of the International Associated Press ernment and the plant’s
Atomic Energy Agency, ognizes the discharge “has the equipment for the dis- cluding China, South Ko- operator, Tokyo Electric
submitted its final assess- raised societal, political charge are “in conformity rea, the United States and Power Company Holdings.
ment of the plan to Prime and environmental con- with the agreed interna- France, to dispose of water Some scientists say the im-
Minister Fumio Kishida on cerns, associated with the tional standards and its ap- containing certain radionu- pact of long-term, low-dose
Tuesday. radiological aspects.” How- plication,” Grossi said. clides from nuclear plants. exposure to radionuclides
The report is a “compre- ever, it concluded that the He said the dilution of treat- Much of the Fukushima remains unknown and urge
hensive, neutral, objective, water release as currently ed but still slightly radioac- wastewater contains ce- a delay in the release.
scientifically sound evalua- planned “will have a neg- tive wastewater for grad- sium and other radionu- Others say the discharge
tion,” Grossi said. “We are ligible radiological impact ual release into the sea is clides, but it will be filtered plan is safe but call for
very confident about it.” on people and the environ- a proven method widely further to bring it below in- more transparency in sam-
The report said IAEA rec- ment.” Japan’s plan and used in other countries, in- ternational standards for all pling and monitoring.q

China restricts exports of high-tech metals in a slap at Washington

ahead of Yellen’s visit

BEIJING (AP) — China has and other technology on computer chips for mobile
imposed export curbs on security grounds. But Beijing phones, cars and other
two metals used in com- has been slow to retaliate, products, as well as solar
puter chips and solar cells, possibly to avoid disrupting panels and military tech-
expanding a squabble with China’s fledgling develop- nology.
Washington over high-tech ers of chips, artificial intel- The United States gets
trade ahead of Treasury ligence and other technol- about half its supply of both
Secretary Janet Yellen’s ogy. metals directly from China,
visit to Beijing this week. Yellen is due to arrive Thurs- according to the U.S. Geo-
The controls on gallium and day as part of efforts by logical Survey. China ex-
germanium are intended the Biden administration to ported about 23 metric
to “safeguard national se- revive relations that have tons (25 tons) of gallium last
curity,” the Commerce plunged to their lowest year and produces about
Ministry said late Monday. It level in decades due to dis- 600 metric tons (660 tons)
said exports will require of- putes about technology, of germanium per year.
ficial permission once the China’s military buildup, The United States has
rules take effect Aug. 1 but human rights and other ir- blocked Chinese access to
did not say what restrictions ritants. advanced chips and the
might be applied. China is the biggest global technology to manufac- A Chinese microchip is seen through a microscope set up at
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s source of gallium and ger- ture them and has persuad- the booth for the state-controlled Tsinghua Unigroup project
government is frustrated manium, which are pro- ed allies the Netherlands which is aimed at driving China’s semiconductor ambitions
by U.S. curbs on access to duced in small amounts and Japan to limit exports during the 21st China Beijing International High-tech Expo in
advanced processor chips but are needed to make of chipmaking tools.q Beijing, China, on May 17, 2018.
Associated Press