The six experts on the team from the International Atomic Energy Agency are to meet with Japanese officials and visit the Fukushima Daiichi plant to discuss technical details of the planned release, Japanese officials said. The team currently in Japan includes three IAEA officials and one each from South Korea, France and Russia. A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 knocked out the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, triggering the meltdown of three reactors. Japanese officials say the water must be removed to allow the decommissioning of the plant, and that its release into the ocean is the most realistic option. Controlled release of tritium from normal nuclear plants is a routine global practice, officials say.
