JP GOV. MEETS FUKUSHIMA FISHERS

Japan's Economy and Industry minister has held talks with fishers in Fukushima and two neighboring prefectures over a plan to release treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The government plans to release the treated water after diluting it to reduce tritium levels to one-seventh of the World Health Organization's safety standards for drinking water.

The operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, is preparing to start discharging the water into the ocean by around this summer.

In a meeting with Fukushima fishers in Iwaki City, the Minister said it's necessary to release the treated and diluted water into the ocean as a step toward decommissioning the plant. He promised that the government will work to ensure the livelihood of local fishers is preserved while the decommissioning work proceeds.

The government plans to use the IAEA report to support its case for the water's release, both domestically and internationally.