THE Japanese government plans to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
An official decision may be made as early as this month, putting an end to seven years of debate over how to dispose of the water used to cool the power station that suffered core meltdowns.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that caused the meltdowns.
According to a Kyodo News report, the water has been treated using an advanced liquid processing system to remove most contaminants and is stored in tanks on the facility's premises.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's director-general, Rafael Grossi, said during his visit to the plant in February that
the release of the contaminated water into the sea met global standards of practice in the industry.
He said this was a common way to release water at nuclear power plants across the globe, even when they were not in emergency situations.
Earlier this year, a government subcommittee said releasing the water into the sea or evaporating it were "realistic options" to deal with the increasing amount of water being stored at the plant.
But, space is expected to run out by the summer of 2022, with contaminated water increasing by about 170 tonnes per day.
Up to last month, the stored water totalled 1.23 million tonnes, filling up 1,044 tanks at the site.
Kyodo reports sources saying that as releasing the water into the sea required construction work and an assessment by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, it would likely take two years for the discharge to start.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had said the government wanted "to make a decision as soon as possible" on how to deal with the water during his visit to the Fukushima plant.
Sources said the plan had raised concerns about its environmental impact with local fishermen and residents opposing the plan due to fears that consumers would shun seafood caught nearby.
Widespread concerns still remain, with many countries and regions still restricting imports of Japanese agricultural and fishery products in the wake of the 2011 disaster.
South Korea, which bans imports of seafood from the area, had repeatedly voiced concerns about the environmental impact.
The government will set up a panel to take measures to address such fears with Fukushima government officials and the local fisheries industry.