The Japanese government says it will hold a meeting with South Korean officials in Seoul on Friday to explain a plan to release treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea.
South Korean experts are expected to visit the plant on May 23 under an agreement reached at the recent summit between Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Friday's briefing will be attended by senior officials of Japan's Foreign Ministry and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. Officials from the Nuclear Regulation Authority and Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the Fukushima plant, will also attend online, to explain the scientific basis for the plan to safely release treated and diluted water into the Pacific Ocean.
The treated water will be diluted to reduce tritium levels before it is released into the ocean. Its tritium concentration will be lowered to one-seventh of the World Health Organization's standards for drinking water.
Some people in South Korea have expressed concern about the safety of the planned water release.
Japanese government officials say they hope the briefing will help allay South Korean concerns, and pave the way for the plan to go ahead.