Editor's note: On Saturday, Japan marked the 12th anniversary of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster with a minute of silence, as global concerns grew ahead of the planned release into the Pacific Ocean of nuclear-contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant. China Daily reviews how locals are still suffering from the disaster and their opposition to the controversial discharge plan.
In May 2022, Rafael Grossi, the director of the IAEA, visited Fukushima, and praised the "remarkable progress on decommissioning at Fukushima Daiichi since his last visit two years ago."
Water that touched the fuel has become radioactive. Filtered in a plant within the power plant, it’s kept in tanks that will reach their maximum capacity in 2023.