Announcements
(Comment) Determination of Government’s Basic Policy on the Handling of ALPS Treated Water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
April 13, 2021
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.
We at TEPCO would like to sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience and burden that we have caused on the people of Fukushima, and society as a whole, as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident.
We would also like to offer our apologies for the string of recent incidents that have caused concern about TEPCO’s nuclear operations and distrust in us as a company.
These incidents have forced us to stop and look back once again upon the lessons we learned from, and our regrets over, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident. We shall ascertain the root causes of these incidents and strengthen countermeasures throughout the entire organization as we implement drastic reforms.
Today, at the fifth Inter-Ministerial Council for Contaminated Water, Treated Water and Decommissioning Issues, a decision was made about the government’s basic policy on the handling of ALPS treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
As this decision by the Japanese government on a basic policy on the handling of ALPS treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station comes after more than six years of debate by the Tritiated Water Task Force and the Subcommittee on Handling of ALPS Treated Water, and is based on the opinions of the residents of the local communities and many other parties concerned, it is a decision that we take very seriously.
In accordance with this basic policy, TEPCO shall, of course, strictly comply with all laws and regulations, such as nuclear safety regulations which are in line with international standards, while also thoroughly implementing measures to minimize the adverse impacts on reputation.
Furthermore, in light of the concern amongst society about the impacts that the discharge of treated water will have on the environment and the adverse impacts on reputation, TEPCO will continue to thoroughly engage in initiatives aimed at quickly conveying accurate information related to ALPS treated water to parties both domestic and abroad in a highly transparent manner as we strive to deepen understanding about this issue.
Furthermore, TEPCO shall take a proactive and leading role in initiatives that focus on each stage of production, processing, distribution and consumption in order to minimize the adverse impacts on reputation, and shall provide suitable compensation for reputational damage that occurs despite the implementation of these countermeasures.
TEPCO shall immediately notify the public after it has formulated our response that is based on the government’s basic policy.
As the party responsible for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident, TEPCO will strive to regain trust in our business endeavors, and in accordance with our fundamental principle of “balancing recovery with decommissioning,” move steadily forward with the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, contaminated water and treated water countermeasures, while prioritizing safety.
