IAEA report says discharge would have ‘negligible radiological impact on people and the environment’

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has approved plans by Japan to release more than 1m tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean, despite objections from local fishing communities and other countries in the region.

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Tuesday that the body’s latest safety review of the planned discharge “makes the science of the treated water release clear for the international community and it answers the technical questions related to safety that have been raised”.