U.N. agency: Japan water release to meet safety rules

TOKYO — The head of a U.N. nuclear agency task force assessing the safety of Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the wreaked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea said Japanese regulators have shown their commitment to comply with international safety standards.

International concern over the plan has been widening. Recently, the head of the 18-nation Pacific Island Forum, which includes Australia, New Zealand and other island nations, expressed concern about any impact of radiation from the water on the livelihoods of people in the region who suffered in the past from atomic bomb tests, and urged Japan to suspend the plan.

“The region is steadfast in its position that there should be no discharge until all parties verify through scientific means that such a discharge is safe,” forum Secretary General Henry Puna said at a public seminar on the Fukushima issue.

The U.S. National Association of Marine Laboratories, an organization of more than 100 laboratories, also expressed opposition to the plan, saying there was a lack of adequate and accurate scientific data supporting Japan’s assertion of safety.

Gustavo Caruso, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency task force, said his team visited the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant last week and witnessed the first of a series of inspections by the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority before it gives its final goahead for the release. He said officials from the authority addressed all questions raised by the task force and showed their commitment to following safety standards.

Japan’s government said last week that the release is likely to begin sometime in the spring or summer and continue for decades.

Japanese regulators are responsible for examining whether preparations for the release by the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, are consistent with its approved implementation plan.

At the request of Japan, IAEA is reviewing whether the preparations for the discharge comply with international standards.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation. Water used to cool the three damaged reactor cores, which remain highly radioactive, has leaked into the basements of the reactor buildings and has been collected, treated and stored in about 1,000 tanks.

The government and TEPCO say the tanks must be removed so that facilities can be built for the plant’s decommissioning.