Japan completes 22nd round of nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge

The 22nd round of discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan into the sea was completed on Monday afternoon local time, with 7,888 tonnes of wastewater released, according to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO). The newly discharged wastewater contained approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium, TEPCO said. The latest release, which was also the fourth round in fiscal year 2026, began on 30 July. Despite concerns and opposition from the international community, Japan began discharging nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the sea in August 2023. As of the completion of the 22nd round, the cumulative volume of wastewater discharged has reached approximately 173,000 tonnes.