Japan Confirms Release of Nuclear Wastewater Into Ocean on Thursday

About 1.2 million cubic meters of water was used to cool down fuel rods at the Fukushima plant following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011.

The storage tanks for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, on Aug. 22, 2023. Kyodo via Reuters

Japan on Tuesday confirmed it will release nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean in a few days amid neighboring countries’ concerns.

“We expect the discharge to begin on Aug. 24 if weather and sea conditions do not hinder it,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Tokyo, asking the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, to make preparations.