Prime Minister Fumio Kishida embarked on a seven-day trip to Indonesia and India on Tuesday, seeking to address concerns about the disposal of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant — especially in response to recent criticisms from China — during multinational summits.
Kishida will participate in meetings with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries in Jakarta for three days, followed by the two-day Group of 20 summit starting on Saturday.
These gatherings mark the first large-scale international forums following the commencement of water discharge from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant into the Pacific on Aug. 24, which drew criticism from local fishermen, China and fisheries groups in Asian nations.