TOKYO (AP) — Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel.
The plant's first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. In the second discharge it plans to release another 7,800 metric tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days.
The wastewater discharges, which are expected to continue for decades, have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people staged protest rallies. China banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood exporters.
Japan’s government has set up a relief fund to find new markets and reduce the impact of China's ban.