TOKYO, August 22. /TASS/. The discharge of water that was used to cool the reactors of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant will begin on August 24, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the government session on Tuesday.

"A decision has been made to begin the release of water on August 24, if no obstacles occur in the form of weather conditions and sea conditions," he said.

Kishida also pledged that the government of Japan would continue to bear responsibility for the safe release of the purified Fukushima NPP water, "even if it takes decades."

The announcement was made as a number of activists gathered outside the premier’s office, protesting against the plan.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said China and Russia had sent Japan a list of technical issues pertaining to Tokyo’s plans to dump the Fukushima waste water.

In 2011, a tsunami caused damage to power supply and cooling systems at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, which caused a nuclear fuel meltdown in three reactors, accompanied by explosions and the emission of radiation into the atmosphere. Vast territories were contaminated, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The reactors used water for cooling, and storing this water has become problematic due to its large volume - over 1,25 million tons. In April, 2021, the Japanese government authorized the discharge of a large amount of this water, which is said to be mostly cleared of radioactive substances, but still contains tritium - a radioactive hydrogen isotope.

The Tokyo Electric Power company 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 drawn sharp criticism from a number of countries - mainly, South Korea 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 last few years, IAEA specialists have carried out several inspections at the power plant.