Japan cannot agree on what to do with a million tonnes of radioactive water being stored at the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant — and there is a chance it could spill if another major earthquake or tsunami were to strike.

Key points: Experts say a gradual release of the water into the ocean would be safe

Experts say a gradual release of the water into the ocean would be safe Local fishermen say releasing the water will further damage their industry

Local fishermen say releasing the water will further damage their industry One in five Japanese shoppers still won't buy food from Fukushima prefecture

The water is being stored in about 900 large and densely packed tanks at the plant, which was overwhelmed by a devastating tsunami more than six years ago.

Making matters worse, the amount of contaminated water held at Fukushima is still growing by 150 tons a day.

The stalemate is rooted in a fundamental conflict between science and human nature.

Experts advising the government have urged a gradual release of the water to the nearby Pacific Ocean. Treatment has removed all the radioactive elements except tritium, which they say is safe in small amounts

Conversely, if the tanks break, their contents could slosh out in an uncontrolled way.

Local fishermen are balking — they say the water, no matter how clean, has a dirty image for consumers.

Fumio Haga, a drag-net fisherman from Iwaki, a city about 50 kilometres down the coast from the nuclear plant, said releasing the water would end the local industry's fragile recovery.

"People would shun Fukushima fish again as soon as the water is released," he said.

Experts want a gradual release, but if the tanks break the water would slosh out. ( AP: Daisuke Suzuki )

A new chairman at TEPCO, the embattled utility that owns the plant, caused an uproar in the fishing community in April when he expressed support for moving ahead with the release of the water.

The company quickly backpedalled, and now says it has no plans for an immediate release and can keep storing water through 2020.

Despite tests, many shoppers avoid Fukushima fish

Today, only about half of the Fukushima region's 1,000 fishermen go out, and just twice a week because of reduced demand.

They participate in a fish testing program that sees lab technicians mince fish samples, pack them in a cup for inspection and record details such as who caught the fish and where.

The fish that make it to market meet what is believed to be the world's most stringent requirements. ( AP: Mari Yamaguchi )

Only three kinds of fish passed the test when the experiment began in mid-2012, 15 months after the tsunami. Over time, that number has increased to about 100.

The fish that make it to market meet what is believed to be the world's most stringent requirements, but that message is not reaching consumers.

Fewer Japanese shoppers shun fish and other foods from Fukushima than before, but one in five still do, according to a survey by Japan's Consumer Agency.

Naoya Sekiya, a University of Tokyo expert on disaster information and social psychology, said the water from the nuclear plant should not be released until people were well-informed about the basic facts, and are psychologically ready.

"A release only based on scientific safety, without addressing the public's concerns, cannot be tolerated in a democratic society," he said.

"A release when people are unprepared would only make things worse."

AP

