The treated discharge from Japan's ruined Fukushima nuclear plant is safe, IAEA chief says on visit

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The head of the U.N. atomic agency has observed firsthand the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s ongoing radioactive wastewater discharges for the first time since the contentious program began six months ago

FUTABA, Japan — The head of the U.N. atomic agency observed firsthand the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's ongoing radioactive wastewater discharges for the first time since the contentious program began months ago and called it an «encouraging start.”

International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi watched treated radioactive water being mixed with massive amounts of seawater and examined a water sampling station. He was escorted by utility Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings president Tomoaki Kobayakawa.

The discharges have been opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including China, which banned all imports of Japanese seafood immediately after the release began.

An 2011 earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima plant’s power supply and reactor cooling functions, triggering meltdowns of three reactors and causing large amounts of radioactive wastewater to accumulate. After more than a decade of cleanup work, the plant began discharging the water after treating it and diluting it with seawater on Aug. 24, starting a process that’s expected to take decades.

Grossi last visited the plant in July after issuing an IAEA review predicting only negligible impact from the discharges. An IAEA comprehensive report later concluded that the discharges meet international safety standards.

Grossi said an IAEA office and a laboratory at the plant have been carrying out their own, independent evaluations of the discharges, and results had been in line with what they expected.

“We