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Russian diplomat urges Japan to allow neighbors to take water samples near Fukushima

On Tuesday, the power plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), announced the start of work to prepare for releasing the treated water from the crippled nuclear facility

MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Japan should allow interested countries to take samples of wastewater from the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant from where it will be discharged into the ocean, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Moskva-24 television.

"[Japan should] provide the countries concerned with all the necessary information, including the opportunity to take samples from where the water will be released. The operator of the power plant has been repeatedly caught providing irrelevant information," the Russian diplomat said.

On Tuesday, the power plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), announced the start of work to prepare for releasing the treated water from the crippled nuclear facility. As Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, the water release would start on August 24. Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report acknowledging that Japan’s plans were in line with international standards. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirmed during his trip to Japan that the regulator considers the water discharge to be of minor impact for local residents and environment. An IAEA office has been established on the premises of the NPP to monitor the process.

TEPCO underscored that the tritium content in the water is being brought to one fortieth of the minimum allowable standard set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the government of Japan, and one seventh of the level allowed by the World Health Organization for drinking water. Despite this, Tokyo’s plans have caused concerns in a number of countries, mainly, Russia and China. Japan plans to discharge the water in stages over a 30-year period. The IAEA intends to monitor the process on a continuous basis. In the past few years, IAEA specialists have carried out several inspections at the nuclear facility.

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Foreign policy Japan Maria Zakharova

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