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Starting in Japan, there's a difficult decision and a controversy ahead of the Asian country.
It needs to get rid of contaminated radioactive water, more than 1 million metric tons of it. Japan plans to treat this water and release it into the Pacific Ocean. The water was used at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. It was damaged back in 2011 when a powerful earthquake and tsunami swept over this part of Japan.
The disaster cut off the nuclear plants power and cooling systems. So to prevent it's damaged nuclear reactors from melting down, Japanese officials had to pump in tons of cooling water. This water became radioactive, contaminated in the process and some of it seeped into damaged tunnels and basements and mixed in with ground water.
Massive tanks were built to store the contaminated liquid and they're expected to be completely filled up late next year. What Japan plans to do is remove most of the radioactive material from it and release it gradually into the sea. A radioactive isotope called tritium will remain in the waste water.
Japan's government says it has very low impact on people's health and that the concentration released will be lower than international standards. A United Nation's official says this has been done before and that there's no harm to the environment but local fishermen strongly opposed the idea.
And China and South Korea, two of Japan's closest neighbors, have voiced quote "grave concerns" about it. They say Japan first needs to make full use of safe disposal methods and then needs to consult with them before emptying the water into the sea.
The United States, a close ally of Japan, says the Asian country appears to have found an approach in line with global standards. If all stays on schedule, Japan will start releasing the water in two years.
