IAEA Chief to Visit Japan from Tues. over Treated Water

Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)--International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi will visit Japan for four days starting Tuesday next week in connection with the release into the sea of treated water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced the schedule on Tuesday.

The chief of the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog will visit the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. nuclear plant, the site of the March 2011 triple meltdown, in Fukushima Prefecture to conduct additional monitoring of the ocean discharge of the treated water containing small amounts of radioactive tritium. Analytical institutions from China, South Korea and Switzerland will also participate in the monitoring.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Motegi indicated his intention to hold talks with Grossi, saying, “I would also like to exchange views on the situation in Iran.”

The Fukushima plant started releasing treated water in August 2023 due to the need to secure enough space for decommissioning work at the plant’s premises, which are occupied with tanks storing treated water.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]