The International Atomic Energy Agency gave an essential endorsement Tuesday of a controversial plan by Japan to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific, paving the way for it to be released this summer.
Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi presented the organization’s safety assessment report, which concluded that the discharge of the treated water into the sea is “consistent with relevant international safety standards.”
“If the Japanese government decides to proceed with the plan, (it) would have a negligible impact on the environment, meaning water, fish and sediment,” Grossi said at a news conference following his meeting with Kishida.