▲ Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speaks about the results of the IAEA's review of Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water stored at the Fukushima nuclear power station into the sea during a press conference in Tokyo on July 4, 2023. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) IAEA-Fukushima water

(3rd LD) IAEA says Japan's Fukushima water discharge plan meets international safety standards

(ATTN: ADDS Grossi's remarks in paras 10-11)

TOKYO/GENEVA, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water stored at the Fukushima nuclear power station into the sea is consistent with its safety standards.

After a two-year review, the U.N. nuclear watchdog also said that the discharges of the water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), the plant's custom purification system, would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.

The results of the review are likely to add new momentum to Japan's push to start discharging the water from the plant -- damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 – some time around this summer despite lingering opposition from neighboring countries, including South Korea and China.

"Based on its comprehensive assessment, the IAEA has concluded that the approach and activities to the discharge of ALPS treated water taken by Japan are consistent with relevant international safety standards," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the report.

"Furthermore, the IAEA notes the controlled, gradual discharges of the treated water to the sea, as currently planned and assessed by TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power), would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment," he added.

Grossi formally presented the report to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo earlier in the day. Kishida reportedly said Tokyo will "sincerely" respond to the IAEA's safety review of the discharge plan.

The IAEA chief said the report by the task force team of IAEA and independent experts from 11 different countries "represent a significant milestone in the IAEA's review" but that "our task is only just beginning."

"The IAEA will continue to provide transparency to the international community making it possible for all stakeholders to rely on verified fact and science to inform their understanding of this matter throughout the process," he said.

The IAEA said its safety review will continue to ensure Japan and TEPCO apply relevant international safety standards throughout the decadeslong discharge process.

In a press conference, Grossi portrayed the report as the "dedicated" work of more than two years, while stressing his agency will continue to review the discharge process.

"(If) the (Japanese) government decides to proceed with it, the IAEA will be permanently here reviewing, monitoring and assessing this activity for decades to come," he said.

Japan is expected to leverage the findings to address lingering domestic and outside opposition to the discharge plan.

"The IAEA report is very important in our efforts to secure the understanding of the international community regarding the safety of ALPS treated water," Japan's chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was quoted as saying.

Grossi is set to visit Seoul on Friday for a three-day trip to explain the review of Japan's water discharge plan, according to a Seoul official.

The Seoul government has been striving to allay public safety concerns over the water release plan through a daily press briefing and other measures.

South Korea's 21-member team completed its six-day trip to Japan in late May, which included an on-site inspection. Also, a South Korean expert participated in the IAEA's monitoring team, which had previously released five interim evaluations.

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