Tokyo, Feb 21 (IANS) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and his team are on a three-day visit to Japan, holding discussions and collecting sea water samples near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) as part of additional measures under the IAEA framework related to the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water into the sea.
On Friday, IAEA officials and experts from laboratories from China, France, South Korea, and Switzerland sampled ALPS treated water prior to dilution from measurement/confirmation tanks at FDNPS on the premises of Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO).
The IAEA officials and experts from the above-mentioned laboratories had on Thursday selected the landed fishery products at a fishing port in Fukushima Prefecture. Earlier, the officials and experts sampled sea water in the vicinity of FDNPS. Director General Grossi, who is visiting Japan after an invitation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over the sampling, stated Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Japanese government assured to maintain close coordination with the IAEA in sharing information with the international community in a highly transparent manner and fostering better understanding of the safety of the discharge of ALPS treated water within both the domestic and international communities,” read a statement issued by the country’s foreign ministry.
“By welcoming countries to engage directly in sampling and analysis under the additional measures, Japan is increasing transparency, understanding, and trust, particularly in the region. Through these efforts, third parties can independently verify that water discharge levels are, and will continue to be, in strict compliance and consistent with international safety standards,” the statement quoted Director General Grossi as saying.
The IAEA is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology. ALPS-treated water refers to the water that has been treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and other equipment and has been purified to a level where contaminated radioactive materials, except for tritium, satisfy the regulatory standards for discharge into the environment.
–IANS
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