During his four-day stay, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will inspect the nuclear facility, which was devastated by a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March 2011, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Grossi is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday to hand over a final safety assessment of the plan to discharge the water, which has been treated with an advanced liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides except for tritium.
Kishida's government will examine the IAEA assessment before making a formal decision to discharge the water, with the government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., aiming to begin the release around this summer.
On Friday, Kishida instructed relevant ministries to continue efforts to gain understanding at the local and international level amid concerns that the water could hurt the marine environment, food safety and human health.
Neighboring China and Russia have expressed opposition to the discharge plan, as have local fishermen worried about the potential reputational damage to their products.
In May, a South Korean delegation of experts from government agencies and affiliated organizations visited the crippled Fukushima power plant for inspections amid public concern in their country over the potential impact of the discharge.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference that Kishida expressed the government's readiness to take thorough measures to ensure the safety and prevent reputational damage as well as provide accurate information over the water discharge.
Industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a separate press conference that the construction of discharge facilities was completed Monday, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority is currently conducting its final safety screening of them.
"We will continue our efforts to sincerely listen to opinions and requests of people involved in fisheries, as well as explain (the discharge plan) to them, including the content of the IAEA report," he said.
