TOKYO (AP) — A team of scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in Fukushima on Monday as part of an annual monitoring and sampling mission to ensure the safety of the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, officials said.
Japan began discharging wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in August 2023. The plant was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, leading to meltdowns in its three reactors and the accumulation of large amounts of radioactive water.
China protested and blocked the import of Japanese seafoodwhich has hit Japan’s seafood exporters
The IAEA team will take samples from the factory, coastal waters and a fish market in the nearby city of Iwaki. It will also visit a national laboratory near Tokyo and meet with Japanese officials.
At the end of September, Japan and China have announced a deal that would relax China’s seafood ban and involve Beijing in monitoring wastewater discharges under the IAEA.
The last IAEA mission involved experts from China.
Japan says the discharge complies with international safety standards and is monitored by the IAEA. Japan has criticized China for its seafood ban as unscientific and demanded an immediate end to the measure.