Japan defends neutrality of IAEA report on Fukushima water release plan as minister visits plant
Japan’s industry minister has visited the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant to see equipment that would be used in the planned release of treated radioactive water into the sea to ensure the safety of the controversial plan
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's industry minister visited the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Monday to see equipment that would be used in the planned release into the sea of treated radioactive water to ensure the safety of the controversial plan, while demonstrators, including many from South Korea, rallied against it.
The Japanese government defended the neutrality of the United Nations nuclear agency’s final report that concluded Japan’s water release plan met international safety standards, denying allegations that Japan pressured the International Atomic Energy Agency into publishing only favorable results.
Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura visited the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Monday morning to see key equipment, including an emergency shutdown system, days after the Japanese regulatory authority granted a permit for the operator and the IAEA said the environmental impact from the water release would be negligible.
The government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, have struggled with how to manage the massive amount of contaminated water that comes out of the melted reactors before it is filtered and stored in tanks. They want to release the water into the Pacific Ocean after further treatment and dilution with seawater, making it safer than international levels.
