IAEA endorses Japan plan to release treated Fukushima water

Japan’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, U.N. nuclear watchdog said

Japan’s plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea meets international standards and will have a “negligible radiological impact”, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on July 4.

The assessment, delivered in a final review by the International Atomic Energy Agency, comes as its chief visits Japan before the expected water release begins this summer.

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Tokyo’s plan to dilute the treated water and release it into the sea over several decades is “consistent with relevant international safety standards”, the IAEA said.

“The controlled, gradual discharges of the treated water to the sea... would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment,” it added.

Several of the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s reactors went into meltdown after cooling systems were overwhelmed by a massive 2011 tsunami.

The resulting nuclear accident was the worst since Chernobyl, and the clean-up has lasted more than a decade, with most areas declared off-limits due to radiation now reopened.