Japan plans to start releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station into the ocean as early as late August, Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported on Monday (7 August), citing unidentified government sources.

The release will most likely come shortly after prime minister Fumio Kishida meets US president Joe Biden and South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol in the US next week and explains to them how the water release will be safe, it said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said recently Japan’s plans to release treated water stored at the station into the sea are consistent with safety standards.