Press Releases
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi’s visit to Fukushima Prefecture
On 19 February, H.E. Dr. Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited Fukushima Prefecture during his visit to Japan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cooperation between Japan and the IAEA on Japan’s efforts for reconstruction of Fukushima was reaffirmed and strengthened through this visit. The Summary of the visit is as follows.
1. Additional measures related to the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea
From around 9:30 a.m., DG Grossi presided over the implementation of the additional measures related to the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea under the IAEA framework. At this occasion, seawater sampling was conducted in the vicinity of Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO's) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) by third-party laboratories from China, Republic of Korea and Switzerland as well as by DG Grossi.
2. Visit to Interim Storage Facility
From around 12:30 p.m., DG Grossi visited the Interim Storage Facility where removed soil arising from decontamination activities is stored and also observed road embankment demonstration project for managed recycling which is one of the measures to reduce the volume of removed soil towards its final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture.
DG Grossi stated that he confirmed that the report of the IAEA expert meeting, which concluded that the efforts and activities for managed recycling and final disposal of removed soil to date were in line with IAEA safety standards, was based on a good understanding of the situation onsite.
3. Visit to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
From around 2:00 p.m., DG Grossi held a meeting with Mr. Kobayakawa, President of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. During the meeting, both sides confirmed that the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea has been conducted safely so far, and that reviews based on international safety standards would continue in the future. After TEPCO’s explanation of the status of decommissioning work, DG Grossi expressed his appreciation for the update on the efforts towards decommissioning, including the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea and the fuel debris trial retrieval.
In September 2024, Japan and the IAEA concurred in conducting the additional measures under the IAEA framework. This time, additional measures is conducted following the measures in October 2024.
The Interim Storage Facility (ISF) was built to manage and store removed soil, waste arising from decontamination activities in Fukushima Prefecture, safely and in an integrated manner, until final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture within 30 years from the start of transportation to the ISF.