Companies

Aeon to Check Fukushima Fishery Products for Tritium

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Aeon Co Ltd’s logo is seen on its shopping mall in Chiba, Japan November 3, 2016.

Jiji Press

17:56 JST, August 23, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Retail giant Aeon Co. said Tuesday that it will start voluntary inspections of fishery products from Fukushima Prefecture for tritium, a radioactive substance.

Aeon decided on the move because Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. is set to release into the Pacific Ocean treated water from its meltdown-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the prefecture from as early as Thursday.

The treated water still contains tritium. TEPCO will dilute the water before the release so that it meets international safety standards.

Aeon said it will disclose the inspection results so that customers can shop without worry as it continues delivering fish and other products from Fukushima.

The company will check items to be sold in fresh fish sections featuring Fukushima produce that it opened jointly with partners including the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations.