SYDNEY: Australian Ambassador to Japan Justin Hayhurst on Wednesday showed his country’s tolerance of Japan’s coming release into the ocean of treated water from the meltdown-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

“Australia has full confidence in the independent, impartial and science-based technical advice provided by” the International Atomic Energy Agency, he said in a statement.

In a report compiled last month, the IAEA said that the planned water release is “consistent with relevant international safety standards” and will have “a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.”

Hayhurst noted that Japan has worked closely with the IAEA over the planned water release from the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, which was severely damaged by the March 2011 tsunami. The water has been processed to remove radioactive substances, but still contains radioactive tritium.

Hayhurst said, “The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency has reviewed the (IAEA) report and supports the IAEA’s assessment that the proposed discharge will not adversely impact people or the environment.”

The Japanese government decided Tuesday to start releasing the treated water into the Pacific on Thursday.

JIJI Press