Over 12 years after a massive earthquake and resulting tsunami wrecked the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japanese authorities have set a date to begin releasing the plant’s treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has ordered operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) “to swiftly prepare for the water discharge”, which will take place on Thursday “weather and ocean conditions permitting”.

The project has received the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which stated the impact it would have on people and the environment was “negligible”.

Every day, the plant produces 100m³ of contaminated water, which is a mixture of groundwater, seawater and water used to keep the reactors cool since the meltdown.

Since March 2011, the plant’s operator has accumulated 1.34 million tonnes of water – enough to fill 500 Olympic-size pools. However, space in the water tanks is running out. 

The Japanese government...