Japan to Release Fukushima Water as Soon as August: Reports

The Japanese government is preparing to start releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the sea as early as late August, local newspapers including the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with cabinet members and decide on a specific timing to discharge the water after returning from a trilateral summit with the US and South Korea on Aug. 18, Yomiuri reported, citing unidentified officials. He will meet with representatives from the nation’s fisheries association ahead of the release, Asahi Shimbun reported.

No specific timing for the water release has been decided by the government at this time, Hirokazu Matsuno, chief cabinet secretary, said in a press conference Monday. The government will decide after measures to ensure safety and limit reputational damage are put in place, he said.

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Japan recently cleared major hurdles to release water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which suffered a meltdown in 2011. The International Atomic Energy Agency released a comprehensive review last month, saying the move “would have negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.” Japan’s atomic watchdog also gave approval for using the discharge facility operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co.

The plan has led to friction with China, which has criticized Japan over safety concerns. The Hong Kong government has said it will ban imports of seafood and other related products from several regions in Japan if the treated water is released.

South Korea, whose relationship with Japan has improved recently under President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration, has backed the plan, but has asked to be involved in monitoring the operation.

The Japanese government wants to avoid starting the procedure in September, when bottom trawling fishing begins on the coast of Fukushima prefecture, the Yomiuri reported.

A poll conducted by Japanese broadcaster JNN over the weekend found that 50% of those surveyed were in favor of plans to release the treated water from the disaster site, while 35% were against.

–With assistance from Ryotaro Nakamaru.

Photograph: The storage tanks containing the treated radioactive water at Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Photo credit: Kimimasa Mayama/EPA/Bloomberg