Japan made "remarkable progress" in decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday while visiting the destroyed nuclear power plant (NPP) the day after Japanese regulator approved the controversial plan to discharge treated radioactive water into the ocean
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) Japan made "remarkable progress" in decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday while visiting the destroyed nuclear power plant (NPP) the day after Japanese regulator approved the controversial plan to discharge treated radioactive water into the ocean.
"Remarkable progress on decommissioning at #Fukushima Daiichi since my last visit two years ago. Also saw the preparations for the discharge of treated water. (IAEA) will continue to be present and monitor the situation here," Grossi said on Twitter.
Japan's plans to discharge treated water from the NPP into the ocean have raised concerns in neighboring South Korea. Last November, South Korean and IAEA officials met to discuss nuclear safeguards of Japan's plan.
"The (South Korean) government will continue to strengthen communication between South Korea and Japan, as well as with the international community including the IAEA, by prioritizing public health and security in relation to the contaminated water," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Choi Young-sam said on Thursday, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
The Japanese government had to start retiring Fukushima Daiichi NPP after the plant was destroyed by a strong earthquake and tsunami in 2011. When plant storage ran out of space, the government came up with a plan to discharge low-level radioactive waters into the ocean through an underground tunnel.
The UN nuclear watchdog sent a mission to assess Japan's plan against IAEA safety standards in late April and will send another in the second half of 2022.
