IAEA Director-General to visit Japan before Fukushima wastewater discharge

Tokyo [Japan], July 1 : Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi will visit Japan on Tuesday to assess the country's plan to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea in the summer, the Japanese government said, according to Kyodo News Agency.

The country's foreign ministry on Friday said that during his four-day stay, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will inspect the nuclear facility that was devastated by a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March 2011.

Kyodo News is a non-profit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo.

Grossi is also expected to meet with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday to hand over a final safety assessment of the plan to discharge the water, which has been treated with an advanced liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides except for tritium, reported Kyodo News Agency.

Kishida's government will examine the IAEA assessment with the government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. before formally deciding to discharge the water. The inspection will aim to begin the release around this summer.

Japan's PM further instructed relevant ministries to continue efforts to gain understanding at the local and international levels amid concerns that the water could hurt the marine environment, food safety and human health.

Neighbouring countries like China and Russia have expressed the opposite of the discharge plan, as local fishermen are worried about the potential reputational damage to their products, as per Kyodo News Agency.

Earlier, in May, a South Korean delegation of experts from government agencies and affiliated organizations visited the crippled Fukushima power plant for inspections when there was public concern in their country over the potential impact of the discharge.

Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary said at a news conference that Kishida expressed the government's readiness to take thorough measures to ensure safety and prevent reputational damage as well as provide accurate information about the water discharge, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Moreover, Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a separate press conference that the construction of discharge facilities was completed on Monday. He further said that the Nuclear Regulation Authority is currently conducting its final safety screening of them.

"We will continue our efforts to sincerely listen to opinions and requests of people involved in fisheries, as well as explain (the discharge plan) to them, including the content of the IAEA report," he said, according to Kyodo News Agency.

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