原発処理水、海洋放出を決定　政府、閣僚会議で方針―菅首相「風評対策徹底」

　政府は１３日午前、東京電力福島第１原発から出る放射性物質トリチウムを含む処理水への対応を話し合う関係閣僚会議を開き、処理水を海洋放出する方針を正式決定した。第１原発の廃炉作業を優先し、水産物などへの風評被害を懸念する漁業関係者らの反対を押し切った形だ。処理水の海洋放出の決定には、国内だけでなく、中国や韓国など周辺国が強く反発している。
　菅義偉首相は会議で「処理水処分は廃炉に避けて通れない課題。海洋放出が現実的と判断した」と説明。「基準を上回る安全性を確保し、政府を挙げ風評対策を徹底する」と述べ、決定に理解を求めた。梶山弘志経済産業相が同日、福島県を訪問し、内堀雅雄知事や地元漁業者らに政府方針を説明する。（2021/04/13-12:14）

The Japanese government on Tuesday decided the release into the ocean of treated radioactive water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station.
   The decision, made at a meeting of relevant ministers, came as the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aims to accelerate work to decommission the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, despite strong opposition from the fisheries industry, which is concerned about reputational damage to marine products from the water release into the ocean.
   The government hopes to start the ocean release of the water after about two years of necessary preparations.
   It plans to take all possible measures to deal with potential unfounded rumors about the safety of local marine products, such as helping expand seafood sales channels.
   But the ocean release of the water could spoil Fukushima fishers' efforts to resume full-scale operations after suffering damage from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which caused an unprecedented triple meltdown at the nuclear plant. In addition, the reconstruction of areas hit by the disaster could be affected if the regional communities' efforts to expand shipments of locally produced agricultural, forestry and fisheries goods are foiled by the water release operations.