Last week we wrote that ten years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan had finally come "clean", and admitted that it is "unavoidable" that it would have to dump radioactive Fukushima water in the Pacific Ocean. Fast forward to today when moments ago Kyodo confirmed what we already knew: the Japanese government decided to release treated radioactive water accumulating at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, having determined "it poses no safety concerns to humans or the environment" despite worries of local fishermen and neighboring countries.

So an oil pipeline whose odds of leaking are virtually zero must be shuttered immediately, but a million tons of radioactive water is "safe" and can be released into the Pacific Ocean, from where it will eventually finds its way into billions of humans around the globe.

But wait, the insanity gets better: Japan's decision to release all this radioactivity into the ocean was backed by none other than the "scientists" at the International Atomic Energy Agency, with Director General Rafael Grossi saying it is "scientifically sound" and in line with standard practice in the nuclear industry around the world.

So... the IAEA has a standard practice of what exploded nuclear power plants do with their fallout water? And how often has this particular standard practice been invoked we wonder?

Between this and the covid debacle, one can almost see why nobody trusts the world's so-called whores for hire scientists any more.

Anyway, back to the cartoonish nation of Japan, whose Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with members of his Cabinet including industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama to formalize the decision, which comes a decade after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a triple meltdown in March 2011.

It is here that over the past decade, water pumped into the ruined reactors at the Fukushima plant to cool the melted fuel, mixed with rain and groundwater that has also been contaminated, has been treated using a liquid processing system, or ALPS, which in theory removes most radioactive materials including strontium and cesium but leaves behind tritium, which according to scientists poses little risk to human health in low concentration. The water is being stored in tanks on the plant's premises -- more than 1.25 million tons in total.

Of course, if the water is so safe, we wonder when the "scientists" will demonstrate that there is nothing to be concerned about by chugging a gallon of the "ALPS-treated" radioactive sludge. We won't be holding our breath.

The real reason why Japan has no choice but to dump the toxic fallout into the ocean is that plant operator TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings) expects to run out of storage capacity as early as fall next year, and the government had been looking for ways to safely dispose of the tritiated water. Having found no viable alternative, it decided to do the simplest possible thing: dump it.

"Disposing of the treated water is an unavoidable issue in decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi plant," Suga said at the meeting, adding the plan will be implemented "while ensuring that safety standards are cleared by a wide margin and firm steps are taken to prevent reputational damage."

A Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry subcommittee concluded in February 2020 that releasing the tritiated water into the sea and evaporating it were both realistic options, with the former more technically feasible. Hilariously, and as noted above, the International Atomic Energy Agency has backed the move, with Director General Rafael Grossi saying it is scientifically sound and in line with standard practice in the nuclear industry around the world.

Yet despite Japan's and the IAEA's assurance, China and South Korea on Monday voiced deep concern over Japan's plan - and now decision - to release treated radioactive water that has accumulated at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, saying discharging it into the sea would have a negative impact on its neighbors. Apparently they have not been briefed by the ALPS "experts" that there is nothing to worry about.

China said it has conveyed its "serious concern" to Japan, calling on Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government to make a cautious decision to protect the public interest of international society as well as the health and safety of Chinese citizens. Arguing Tokyo has come under criticism globally over the issue, "Japan cannot overlook or shrug off" such a fact and "should not hurt the marine environment, food safety and human health anymore," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman, meanwhile, said Monday that releasing treated water from the Fukushima plant would "directly and indirectly affect the safety of the people and the neighboring environment."

"It would be difficult to accept the release into the sea if the Japanese side makes a decision without sufficient consultation," the spokesman said, adding South Korea will "respond by strengthening cooperation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Apparently he was unaware that the IAEA was already bribed convinced by Japan that there is nothing wrong what what is about to take place.

But wait... we thought that "scientists" said it was safe: does China and South Korea practice a different "science" - one where a million tons of radioactive water getting dumped into the ocean is actually - gasp - dangerous.

Could it be that we have two "scientific" camps, one of which is motivated by things far more mundane than the scientific method to reach its conclusion. Things such as money?

Of course, for Japan which prints trillions of said money every months, it's not a concern, and that's music to the "scientists" ears. Suga said the IAEA and other third parties will be involved in the plan, ensuring it is carried out with transparency. We can only assume that the "third parties" will also receive copious amounts of money to find that nothing is wrong here.

In any case, the poisoning of the Pacific Ocean won't take place for another two years: that's when the the tritiated water is actually released into the sea due to the need to build new facilities and conduct safety screenings. The government had initially hoped to make the decision last October, viewing it as necessary to clear up space at the Fukushima plant in order to move forward with the decades-long decommissioning process, but decided it needed more time to convince local fishermen who have voiced strong opposition.

Apparently the local fishermen have also not heard of this thing called "science" according to which there is nothing to worry about.

The good news is that with a two year lead time, such aspiring eco-saints as Greta Thunberg will have more than enough time to prevent this plan from being realized. Unless, of course, Greta's entire eco spiel is one giant lie. Failing that, and should Greta also be convinced by money the IAEA that there is nothing wrong with the water, we can only hope that she will drink several gallons of the radioactive substance on live TV.

Meanwhile, we wonder how those other eco-saints at Blackrock will respond: having banned investments in such devious, diabolical industries as coal and shale, we can only imagine the loophole Larry Fink's henchmen will have to come up with to continue investing in Japan without looking like total sellouts. One suggestion has already emerged: the "Blackrock Nuclear Treated Water Socially Responsible Inclusion Oil Sands Exclusion ETF"