Japan asks IAEA to verify safety before Fukushima nuclear plant can release water

Japan's industry ministry requested the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday to review the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant so that it can release radioactive water into the sea.

Japan is considering the option of releasing radioactive water into the sea but has yet to make a final decision, the Kyodo News reported.

In a videoconference, Japan's industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama told IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi that Japan wants the U.N. nuclear watchdog to conduct a scientific and objective review of the method of disposal of the water and openly convey its view to the international community, Japanese officials said.

The water has been treated using an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS, to remove most contaminants other than relatively less toxic tritium. The water, totaling 1.2 million tons, is stored in tanks on the plant's premises but space could run out by the fall of 2022, according to Kyodo News.

The Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which suffered core meltdowns due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, is generating massive amounts of radiation-tainted water that have been used to cool the reactors.

Grossi said the IAEA is prepared to fully support Japan, being convinced of the country's determination to resolve the issue of the treated water and its technological capacity in carrying that out, the officials told reporters after the meeting.

Meanwhile, in addition to the local fishery industry's concerns about water disposal, neighboring countries such as China and South Korea have also expressed wariness over the discharge of water from the Fukushima plant into the environment.

( With inputs from ANI )