Yuko Takahashi on Iwasawa Beach in Fukushima, Japan. Photo: Yuta Sugise
When Yuko Takahashi called me via video just after a surf session at Iwasawa Beach in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, you’d never guess that just 20 kilometers north, thousands of tons of treated and diluted nuclear wastewater had been piped out into the Pacific Ocean. She maintained a wide smile as a light offshore breeze groomed the frigid, sunrise-lit waves behind her. “I am not worried,” she insisted. “The studies have shown that the water is not affected.” After all, Takahashi proudly displays the hashtag #wesurfukushima in her Instagram bio.
Takahashi’s confidence is based on tests by the International Atomic Energy Agency that have reported “no issues” so far with the ocean water, sediment, or fish in Fukushima. Back in March of 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed the Fukushima Daichii Nuclear Power Plant, causing large amounts of radiation to leak from its reactors. To stop the nuclear meltdown, the reactor was flooded with water, which is now being stored in more than 1,000 tanks holding 1.33 million tons of liquid at the site. As the tanks continued to pile up, the Japanese government decided the best way forward was to treat the water, dilute it, and release it into the ocean. With the first batch released on August 24, the plant has now released a total of 23,400 tons of water into the ocean via a pipe that runs one kilometer offshore. The next release is scheduled to happen before March 2024. Even after releasing the first four batches of water, that will only account for ten of the more than 1,000 tanks stored on the premises. Disposing of all the water is a project that will take decades.
The process used to filter the water is called an Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). It removes most radioactive substances except for a few, tritium and carbon-14, which, according to the Japanese government, are reduced to such levels that are much safer than general standards for nuclear waste discharge. (Both tritium and carbon-14 are naturally occurring in the environment and only pose risk if consumed in large quantities.)
The 49-year-old Takahashi was born and raised in Fukushima Prefecture. She took up surfing back in 2012 because she was sad that the nuclear disaster had separated her from the ocean. From what she’s experienced, most of the surfers in the prefecture, which she estimates is in the thousands, are back in the water despite the wastewater release. However, she did acknowledge that some surfers who left after the initial incident in 2011 still haven’t returned, or never will return, to the area, but she attributes this less to issues of water quality and more to the psychological trauma that many went through.
I admired her trust in the government and the agency’s findings, thinking about how much more drama and skepticism this situation would cause among the surfers in my home of California. I insisted again, asking, “Have there really been no major changes in the city/surf scene since the wastewater was first released?” She paused for a moment, translating in Japanese to ask the same question to two more surfers who had parked next to her. They shrugged and she relayed, “As far as I know, not that much. They say the same.”
Takahashi isn’t aware of any surfers who are, at least vocally, strongly against the wastewater release. However, she did admit that she is concerned for those involved in the tourism industry in the region and for the fishermen, whose seafood exports are now banned by China, Russia, and South Korea.
While expert opinion has generally stated that there will be no noticeable effects from the release of the treated wastewater, the plan is still controversial among the Japanese public. Only 53 percent support it. United Nations human rights experts are among those who have opposed the plan. And the scientific community is not totally in agreement that the ocean is safe. For example, Robert Richmond, a Marine Biology professor with the University of Hawaii, told BBC that he feels there has been “inadequate radiological, ecological impact assessment.”
The Fukushima Prefecture sees the value in surfers to improve their tarnished reputation. Back in September the prefecture held a national surf contest at Kitaizumi Beach, about 25 kilometers north of the nuclear disaster. The main goal of the event was to show that the water is safe. The event included around 40 Japanese surfers, and the organizers even paid the expenses to bring Jeremy Flores and a pro longboarder from Australia, Harley Ingleby, to attend and freesurf for each of the three days they were there. The organizers also brought in former WSL head judge Richie Porta to assume the same role for the event.
The area’s waves are still rideable. There’s little doubt in that. Just ask Yuko. Photo: YT
The contest was not associated with any national or international surfing organizations, who likely were steering clear of the negative press associated with the wastewater release. Thus, the contest was independently organized by surf shop owner and contest promoter Mic Kato in cooperation with the Fukushima Prefecture. When reached for comment, Kato raved that the event was a success and hoped that it could shed positive light on the situation instead of propagating “fake news.”
Shinji Murohara, part of the event’s organizing committee in Fukushima, responded with similar sentiment. “The rumor mill has delayed local reconstruction and tourism promotion, making it difficult to rebuild coastal utilization,” said Murohara. “I believe that progress has been made in dispelling rumors (about water quality) through competitions organized by the Nippon Surfing Association. However, new rumors due to the legal quality of the ALPS treated water after 2021 have become a new challenge. It was a good attempt to promote the attractiveness and safety of the ocean by running the (independent) revival event at Kitaizumi Surf Festival with the government.”
Treated wastewater flowing into the ocean is going to be the new norm in Fukushima for the foreseeable future – perhaps even as long as this generation plies these waters. But the surfers of Fukushima, like Yuko Takahashi, seem to have accepted that these are the conditions they will have to surf in moving forward. So far, the testing has indicated no significant impacts. But with over a million more tons of treated wastewater yet to be released in the coming decades, there are still many more tests to be done before anyone can judge the longterm effects.
