Japan’s plans to release treated water stored at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station into the sea are consistent with International Atomic Energy Agency safety standards, an agency review has concluded.

In a report presented by IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi to Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo today (4 July), the IAEA said that the discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.

The 140-page report is the outcome of nearly two years of work by an IAEA task force made up of specialists from within the agency advised by nuclear safety experts from 11 countries. They reviewed Japan’s plans against IAEA safety standards, which serve as a global reference for safety worldwide.

“Based on its comprehensive assessment, the IAEA has concluded that the approach and activities to the discharge of treated water taken by Japan are consistent with relevant international safety standards,” Grossi said in a foreword to the report.