TOKYO: Japan is expected to start the planned release of treated water from the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as early as Thursday, sources said Monday.

The government will hold a ministerial meeting Tuesday to decide when to start the water discharge from the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. plant, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

The plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, suffered a triple meltdown in March 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami.

JIJI Press