Japan will begin releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. Japan’s decision comes despite opposition from its neighbors and weeks after the UN nuclear watchdog approved the plan.
About 1.34 million tons of water, enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools, has accumulated since the 2011 tsunami that destroyed the plant.
The water will be released after 30 years after it has been filtered and diluted.
Authorities will ask the plant operator to “make immediate preparations” for disposal to begin on August 24 if weather and sea conditions are suitable
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the factory on Sunday, fueling speculation that a release was imminent.
According to the country’s government statements, the release of water is a necessary step in the long and expensive process of dismantling the plant, which is located on the country’s east coast, about 220 km north-east of the capital Tokyo.
Japan has been collecting and storing polluted water in tanks for more than a decade, but space is already running out.
