Japan Begins 20th Fukushima Wastewater Release as IAEA Continues Monitoring Amid Regional Opposition

Japan began the 20th round of discharges of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean last week. The plant was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Juraj Rovny, head of the Operational Safety Section at the IAEA, spoke to reporters on Wednesday during a seminar for journalists organized by the agency in Vienna.

"There were concerns about the release of the radioactive water to the sea. No. We will go, we will measure ourselves, and we will publish it," Rovny said. Rovny said the IAEA conducts peer review services under which independent experts and agency officials assess nuclear facilities and publish their findings.

"When the public sees that the local operator invites independent experts and the IAEA to conduct a review, and they publish their findings, I think that's one of the things that builds the trust of the public," he said. "You need to be transparent. " Rafael Mariano Grossi delivered remarks at an IAEA Board of Governors meeting on Monday.

Grossi said the IAEA continues its independent review and monitoring of the discharge of ALPS-treated water from the Fukushima power plant. "We have been supporting transparency through science in this way since August 2023," Grossi said. Six missions covering environmental and source monitoring were conducted last year.

Laboratories from South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland and the IAEA analyzed identical samples to verify analytical accuracy, reliability and data quality. The IAEA conducted its sixth Task Force mission in May, assessing monitoring programs and carrying out on-site observations.