Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry: "Decision on Timing of Fukushima Treated Water Discharge Tomorrow"

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, announced that the timing for the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean will be decided on the 22nd.

According to a report by local public broadcaster NHK on the 21st, the Japanese government is expected to hold a meeting tomorrow attended by various officials including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Minister Nishimura, and Reconstruction Minister Hiromichi Watanabe to determine the timing of the contaminated water discharge.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan
Photo by Yonhap News

The Japanese government has been promoting the plan domestically and internationally based on the comprehensive report released last month by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which concluded that the impact of the contaminated water discharge plan on human health and the environment is negligible.

Following his inspection of the contaminated water discharge facilities at the Fukushima nuclear plant on the 20th, Prime Minister Kishida met in the afternoon with Masanobu Sakamoto, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, to explain the safety of the contaminated water discharge plan.

Chairman Sakamoto expressed a negative stance on the contaminated water discharge even after meeting with Prime Minister Kishida. Nevertheless, the Japanese government plans to set the start date for the discharge tomorrow in order to proceed with the plan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.