Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant’s operator, began discharging some of the 1.34 million tonnes of treated wastewater in August despite outcries at home and in the region. China banned all seafood from Japan over concerns of radioactive contamination.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that the treated wastewater would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.
The Fukushima plant suffered major damage during an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Since then, water has continually been pumped in to cool the plant's reactors. As of June, some 1,000 of tanks holding treated water were stored on-site.