TOKYO, December 8. /TASS/. A joint team of international experts and representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Japan in December to inspect and conduct an expert analysis of the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima-1 (Fukushima Daiichi) Nuclear Power Plant, the Japanese Foreign Ministry reported.
According to a statement released by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, the team will visit the country from December 15 to 19. In addition to IAEA representatives, it will include independent experts from 11 countries, including Russia and China. "The Government of Japan will continue to provide necessary information to the IAEA. The Government of Japan also remains committed to making efforts to foster better understanding both domestically and internationally regarding the handling of ALPS treated water," the ministry said.
In 2023, the Japanese government decided to begin a gradual release of purified water into the ocean, an operation that will take 30-40 years. Each stage involves discharging approximately 7,800 metric tons of water; Japan has completed 15 such stages to date. The water is purified, but it still contains tritium, which cannot be completely removed. Before discharge, its content is adjusted by mixing with clean ocean water to one-fortieth the safety level established by the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the Japanese government, and one-seventh the permissible limit for drinking water established by the World Health Organization.
In March 2011, a tsunami disabled the power and cooling systems at the Fukushima-1 NPP, leading to the destruction of three reactor vessels, explosions, and the release of large quantities of radioactive material. The plant site and surrounding areas have now been virtually cleared. However, water is constantly being poured into the destroyed reactors to cool the red-hot nuclear fuel fragments. It then leaks through the breaches, heavily contaminated, and is collected. The water is purified, reused for cooling, and partially stored in tanks on the plant grounds.