"Japan's Kishida Considering Starting Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge as Early as the 24th"

The Japanese government is reportedly considering a plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (referred to by the Japanese government as "treated water") into the ocean as early as the 24th, NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, reported on the 21st.

NHK stated, "The understanding of fishermen regarding (the contaminated water discharge) has progressed to a certain extent," and added, "Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is in the final stages of coordinating to start the discharge as soon as possible after the 24th."

On the afternoon of the same day, after meeting with Mananobu Sakamoto, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, Prime Minister Kishida told reporters, "Tomorrow, we will hold a meeting of relevant ministers to confirm the status of safety assurance and measures against reputational damage (false rumors) and set a concrete schedule."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Japanese government plans to hold a meeting tomorrow morning attended by Prime Minister Kishida, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Reconstruction Minister Hiromichi Watanabe, and other officials from various sectors to decide the schedule for discharging the contaminated water.

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 power plant the previous day, Prime Minister Kishida met with former Fisheries Cooperative Federation chairman Sakamoto in the afternoon to explain the safety of the contaminated water discharge plan and requested understanding of the government’s policy. Chairman Sakamoto clearly reiterated his opposition to the discharge, stating, "My opposition has not changed at all."