Japan's industry minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, said Sunday that there is no change in the government's plan to start releasing treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea around this summer.
Nishimura clarified this stance when he visited fisheries cooperative associations in the cities of Soma and Iwaki, both in Fukushima Prefecture, to seek understanding of the government's plan from local fishermen.
Meanwhile, both of the fisheries cooperative associations stressed that they remain opposed to the water release plan.
Speaking to reporters after the visits, Nishimura said the government will decide on the specific timing to start releasing treated water from the Fukushima plant, the site of a triple meltdown in March 2011, while checking the status of efforts to ensure safety.
In their meetings with the minister, Fukushima fishery operators voiced concerns about the future as the water release will continue until the decommissioning of the nuclear plant. They asked the government to protect the lives of local fishermen while some also claimed that the water release plan has already affected the prices of local fishery products.
In response, Nishimura touched on a ¥30-billion fund set up by the government as part of efforts to deal with reputational damage related to the water release, explaining that the government will make the fund available for use when necessary even before the start of the water release.
Nishimura's trip to Fukushima followed his visit to the neighboring prefecture of Miyagi on Saturday to meet local fishery operators.