Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), agreed on Tuesday to strengthen cooperation on the decommissioning and dismantling of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
In their meeting at the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace, in Tokyo, Iwaya and Grossi discussed the work at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) Holdings plant and the release of tritium-tainted treated water from the facility into the ocean.
At a joint news conference after the meeting, Iwaya thanked the IAEA for its cooperation and said, "We will ensure safety with the involvement of the IAEA in order to safely release treated water until the 'last drop.'"
He also said that a decision has been made to contribute about €14 million to the IAEA for medical assistance and other purposes in Ukraine.
At a dinner party after the meeting, Iwaya and Grossi exchanged views on measures to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia, and on nuclear nonproliferation.
Grossi arrived in Japan on Tuesday and visited Tepco's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture for the first time. He referred to the importance of restarting the plant at an early date for the sake of Japan and Tepco.
During his stay in the country until Thursday, he is scheduled to participate in additional monitoring related to treated water from the Fukushima plant, which will also involve Chinese, South Korean and other research bodies.
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