TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged Thursday that the government will “do everything it can” to address issues related to its plan to release into the ocean treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Suga made the remark in a meeting with Masao Uchibori, governor of Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, which hosts the disaster-crippled nuclear plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. The water at the plant, though purified by a special filtration system, still contains radioactive tritium.

Uchibori asked Suga to implement measures to prevent possible reputational damage to local seafood and other products, help businesses affected by the water release, give careful explanations to people concerned and provide correct information to people in Japan and abroad.

“We sincerely accept the feelings of people in Fukushima, especially fishermen,” Suga said.

After the meeting, Uchibori told reporters the issue of water release is “not just a matter of Fukushima, but also the whole of Japan.”

“It’s important that the prime minister himself stands at the forefront and fulfils his responsibility,” the governor said.

JIJI Press