FILE - Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks at the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 26, 2022.
A work ship is seen off shore where Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said it installed the last piece of an undersea tunnel dug to be used to release the water offshore, during a media tour to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, northern Japan Monday, June 26, 2023. All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns.
An employee of Tokyo Electric Power Company explains about the facility to be used to release treated radioactive water to media at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, northern Japan, Monday, June 26, 2023. All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns.
An equipment to be used to dilute the water with seawater is shown to media at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, northern Japan, Monday, June 26, 2023. All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns.
Banners are displayed to protest against Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from Fukushima nuclear power plant, near a building which houses Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Japanese regulators began the final inspection Wednesday before treated radioactive wastewater is released from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Environmental activists protest against the Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, near a building which houses the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 30, 2023. The letters read, "Radioactive water in ground facilities."
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi shakes hands with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi before their meeting at the Iikura guesthouse in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The head of the U.N. nuclear agency is in Japan to meet with government leaders Tuesday and to see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, on a visit Japan hopes will give credibility to the contentious plan.
A Buddhist monk protests against the Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, near a building which houses the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The head of the U.N. nuclear agency is in Japan to meet with government leaders Tuesday and to see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, on a visit Japan hopes will give credibility to the contentious plan. The letters read, "The treated radioactive water from the Fukushima."
UN nuclear chief is visiting Japan to give a final report on release of treated radioactive water
The head of the U.N. nuclear agency is meeting with Japanese government leaders on his visit before treated radioactive wastewater is released into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant
FILE - Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks at the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Theresa Wey, File)
Theresa Wey - stringer, AP
FILE - Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks at the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Theresa Wey, File)
Uncredited - foreign subscriber, Kyodo News
A work ship is seen off shore where Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said it installed the last piece of an undersea tunnel dug to be used to release the water offshore, during a media tour to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, northern Japan Monday, June 26, 2023. All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns. (Kyodo News via AP)
Uncredited - foreign subscriber, Kyodo News
An employee of Tokyo Electric Power Company explains about the facility to be used to release treated radioactive water to media at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, northern Japan, Monday, June 26, 2023. All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns.(Kyodo News via AP)
Uncredited - foreign subscriber, Kyodo News
An equipment to be used to dilute the water with seawater is shown to media at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, northern Japan, Monday, June 26, 2023. All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns.(Kyodo News via AP)
Ahn Young-joon - staff, AP
Banners are displayed to protest against Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from Fukushima nuclear power plant, near a building which houses Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Japanese regulators began the final inspection Wednesday before treated radioactive wastewater is released from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Environmental activists protest against the Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, near a building which houses the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 30, 2023. The letters read, "Radioactive water in ground facilities." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Nozomu Endo - foreign subscriber, Kyodo News
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi shakes hands with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi before their meeting at the Iikura guesthouse in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The head of the U.N. nuclear agency is in Japan to meet with government leaders Tuesday and to see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, on a visit Japan hopes will give credibility to the contentious plan. (Nozomu Endo/Kyodo News via AP)
Ahn Young-joon - staff, AP
A Buddhist monk protests against the Japanese government's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, near a building which houses the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The head of the U.N. nuclear agency is in Japan to meet with government leaders Tuesday and to see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, on a visit Japan hopes will give credibility to the contentious plan. The letters read, "The treated radioactive water from the Fukushima." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
TOKYO (AP) — The head of the U.N. nuclear agency is in Japan to meet with government leaders Tuesday and to see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, on a visit Japan hopes will give credibility to the contentious plan.
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later Tuesday to submit IAEA's final report on the water release. All of IAEA's interim evaluations have been positive and the final report is expected to say that the water sampling, testing and monitoring plans involved in the release are adequate and fulfill international requirements.
Grossi, at a joint news conference after meeting with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, said the report sums up the IAEA’s work over the past two years and handing it to Kishida marks “an important chapter.”
Hayashi thanked “IAEA’s impartial and professional efforts on their review from safety and regulatory aspects.” He promised Japan’s further effort to provide detailed explanations to the international community “based on scientific evidence and with high degree of transparency.”
The treated radioactive water, stored in about 1,000 tanks that are nearing their 1.37 million ton capacity, must be removed to prevent accidental leaks and to make room for the plant’s decommissioning.
Japanese regulators finished their final safety inspection of the equipment last Friday and the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings is expected to receive a permit for discharging the water in about a week. It could do so anytime afterward, though the start date is still undecided amid concerns and protests.
South Korea, China and some Pacific Island nations oppose the water release because of safety concerns and political reasons. Local fishing groups are worried their reputation will be damaged even if their catch is uncontaminated, and others like local water and beach businesses and tourism outfits are concerned.
Japan has sought support from the IAEA to gain credibility for the plan and assurances that its safety measures meet international standards. The IAEA has made several trips to Japan since early 2022 but acknowledges it can't made decisions for the Japanese government, including stopping the wastewater release.
Grossi on Tuesday will also meet with heads of Japanese ministries and nuclear agency relevant to the water release. He later will visit the Fukushima plant to see some of the newly constructed facilities for the water release during his four-day visit.
To ease concerns overseas, Grossi is expected to visit South Korea, New Zealand and the Cook Islands after his visit to Japan.
Japan's government and TEPCO say the treated but still slightly radioactive water will be diluted to levels safer than international standards and will be released gradually into the ocean over decades, making it harmless to people and marine life.
Some scientists say the impact of long-term, low-dose exposure to radionuclides is unknown. Others say the release plan is safe but call for more transparency in sampling and monitoring of the release.
The government says questionable documents have been circulated, including one alleging that Japan pressured the IAEA to remove negative information from its final report. Hayashi and other officials have denied them.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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