The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that Japan's plan to release radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the environment meets global standards for the industry.
The comment by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, made during a tour of the facility that was devastated by the powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011, comes amid strong opposition to the plan from local fishermen and neighboring South Korea.
"Whatever way forward must be based on a scientific process, a process which is based on a scientifically based and proven methodology," Grossi told reporters after the tour.