Japan Begins 24th Fukushima Water Discharge

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began the 24th round of discharging treated but still radioactive-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean on October 5, according to Xinhua. The operation marks the sixth round of Japan’s fiscal year 2026 and the 24th since the controversial practice began in August 2023.

The discharge is expected to run until October 23, releasing a total volume of roughly 7,800 tons containing about 1.2 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium. TEPCO plans eight discharge rounds across FY2026, totaling approximately 62,400 tons — an increase of about 7,800 tons over the previous fiscal year.

Scale Expands as Stored Water Persists

As of this round, 23 discharges have been completed, with a cumulative total of roughly 181,000 tons released into the Pacific, the Beijing News reported, citing Xinhua. Yet the volume held in tanks at the plant remains high: about 1.235 million tons were still stored as of August 13, 2026, according to TEPCO data.

The apparent paradox — discharge continuing while storage barely declines — stems from the nature of the Fukushima cleanup. Water keeps accumulating because groundwater and rainwater continue to enter the damaged reactor buildings and contact radioactive materials, forming water that must be treated. As long as the decommissioning work proceeds, the People’s Daily Japan Channel noted, water treatment and discharge will proceed in parallel, making the process a long-term undertaking with no clear endpoint.

This matters because Japan’s decommissioning target is set 30 to 40 years after the 2011 accident — between 2041 and 2051 — with the removal of melted fuel debris regarded as the core challenge. That work has been repeatedly delayed, meaning the discharge timeline depends heavily on how the fuel debris removal and water management progress.

Three Years On, the Water Still Flows

August 2026 marked three years since Japan unilaterally launched the ocean discharge despite strong international questioning and opposition, Xinhua reported. At that three-year mark, 22 rounds had been completed with a cumulative discharge of about 173,000 tons.

TEPCO has acknowledged that more than 70% of the water treated through its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) does not meet discharge standards and requires further filtration for radioactive substances beyond tritium. Japanese media have found that multiple radioactive substances exceeded limits in the Fukushima water beyond tritium alone.

Fisheries and Regional Concerns Persist

The practice has drawn sustained opposition from neighboring countries, fishing communities, and environmental groups concerned about marine ecosystems and food safety. Those concerns have not faded with time.

The People’s Daily Japan Channel, citing the Ryukyu Shimpo, reported that Hokkaido’s fisheries export value fell from 90.1 billion yen in 2022 to 63 billion yen in 2024, with scallops particularly affected. Japanese firms redirected frozen scallops and other products to markets in Vietnam and Thailand, but different shipping conditions raised local storage costs in Hokkaido.

Fukushima fisheries representatives have maintained a consistent position. Nozaki Satoshi, chairman of the Fukushima Prefecture Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, said that although the past three years and 22 rounds proceeded “as planned,” the sector’s demand that TEPCO “discharge carefully until the very last drop” remains unchanged. Japan’s national fisheries cooperatives have continued to press the government for measures to address reputational damage from the discharge.

China Maintains Opposition

China has kept its opposition to the ocean discharge unchanged, even after restoring imports of Japanese aquatic products in 2025. Speaking at a regular press briefing on June 30, 2025, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China’s opposition to the discharge had not changed and that Beijing would continue to work with the international community to urge Japan to translate its commitments into long-term practical action and effectively control the risks, as reported by CCTV News.

Mao made the remarks in response to a question about whether resuming Japanese seafood imports meant China endorsed the safety of the discharge — a clarification that Chinese officials have repeatedly emphasized: the resumption of imports does not equal recognition of the discharge’s safety, and China continues to press for strengthened international monitoring.

What to Watch

The 24th round underscores a pattern that shows no sign of slowing: each fiscal year, Japan has expanded its discharge volume, and the stored water at Fukushima Daiichi declines only gradually — roughly 7% since discharge began, by some estimates. With the decommissioning timeline stretching to the 2040s or beyond and fuel debris removal still unresolved, the discharge is set to remain a live and contested issue for years to come.

The immediate focus will be on the completion of this round on October 23 and the remaining rounds planned for FY2026. For fishing communities in Japan and across the region, each round represents a renewed test of livelihoods, markets, and public confidence — and a reminder that the question of who ultimately bears the risk remains unresolved.