An International Atomic Energy Agency mission to Japan pledged Monday to conduct an objective and science-based safety review of a plan to discharge treated low-level radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The IAEA task force made the pledge in a meeting with government officials in Tokyo, a day before visiting the plant severely damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami for inspection, as the discharge plan has drawn opposition from China and South Korea, as well as local fishing communities.
The task force will conduct the five-day review in Japan in an "objective, credible and science-based manner and help send a message of transparency and confidence to the people in Japan and beyond," said Gustavo Caruso, director and coordinator at the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security.