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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) held a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to receive the IAEA safety review of Japan’s plan to release wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This meeting marked an important step in the ongoing discussions regarding Japan’s Fukushima wastewater release plan. Photo by Zhang Xiaoyu/EPA-EFE
July 4 (UPI) — The International Atomic Energy Agency has approved Japan’s plan to release radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. The IAEA’s two-year safety review concluded that Japan’s plans are in line with international safety standards. The final safety report was presented by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi at a press conference in Tokyo, alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
In the foreword of the safety report, Grossi emphasized the IAEA’s conclusion that the controlled release of treated water into the sea would have minimal radiological impact on people and the environment. The water, which has been stored on the Fukushima site since the 2011 tsunami, has undergone treatment using the advanced liquid processing system to remove all radioactivity except for tritium. Japan plans to further dilute the water to meet regulatory standards before discharging it into the Pacific Ocean.
Grossi stated that the safety review does not endorse or recommend Japan’s policy but aims to address technical questions regarding the plan. The IAEA will maintain a continuous on-site presence during the discharge phase and provide live online monitoring on its website.
Japan’s decision to release the treated wastewater has sparked concerns among environmental groups, the fishing industry, and neighboring countries. China, in particular, strongly opposes Japan’s plan, criticizing it as a “unilateral and wrong decision” driven by economic considerations. South Korea also opposes the release, as reflected in a recent joint survey which found that 84% of respondents were against the plan. The pending release has led to a surge in sea salt stockpiling in South Korea due to contamination fears.
The exact start date for the wastewater release has not been specified by Japan, as the process is expected to take several decades to complete. Greenpeace, an environmental group, has voiced concerns about the treatment plan, advocating for long-term storage instead to prevent potential radioactive materials from entering the food chain.
Rafael Grossi will visit the Fukushima plant on Wednesday and later travel to South Korea, according to officials in Seoul.
