TOKYO - The government on Monday exchanged opinions with the International Atomic Energy Agency on Japan's plan to discharge treated water containing low-level radioactive material into the sea from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

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A task force from the IAEA, due to stay through Friday, will conduct a safety review of the water Tuesday at the plant, which was severely damaged by the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami. The inspection is aimed at helping ensure the discharge plan proceeds in line with international safety standards and without harming public health or the environment, according to the agency.

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Officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Foreign Ministry, and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., attended Monday's session with the task force.

Gustavo Caruso, director and coordinator at the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, said in the session that the task force will conduct the review in an "objective, credible and science-based manner and help send a message of transparency and confidence to the people in Japan and beyond."

"We would like to ask for a strict and transparent evaluation," said Keiichi Yumoto, director general for nuclear accident disaster response at the industry ministry.

It is crucial to receive the evaluation from the objective international body, as there is safety concerns among the public over the planned discharge of treated water, Yumoto added.

The findings from the mission will be compiled into a report by the end of the year, according to the IAEA.

The review will also be reflected in the deliberation of the discharge plan, submitted from TEPCO, by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority, according to the ministry official.

Water that has become contaminated after being pumped in to cool melted reactor fuel at the plant has been accumulating at the complex, also mixing with rainwater and groundwater at the site.

Tokyo decided last April to gradually discharge the water, treated through an advanced liquid processing system which removes radionuclides except tritium, into the Pacific Ocean after dilution starting next year. China and South Korea, as well as local fishing communities, have opposed the plan.

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The task force, established last year, is made up of independent and highly-recognized experts with diverse technical backgrounds from various countries including China and South Korea, as well as personnel from IAEA departments and laboratories, according to the agency.

Its members are not expected to work in a national capacity but serve in their individual professional roles and report to Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

In response to the Japanese government's request for assistance, Grossi said the IAEA will support Japan before, during and after the release of the water.

Through the tunnel under the seabed, treated water is planned to be released into the sea about 1 kilometer off the Fukushima plant from around spring 2023.

The IAEA team's safety review had been initially scheduled for mid-December but postponed due to the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

==Kyodo

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