Fukushima residents worry nuclear plant’s wastewater release in a few weeks will be another setback

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

IWAKI, Japan (AP) — Within weeks, the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is expected to start releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the sea, a highly contested plan facing fierce protests in and outside Japan. Residents worry that the water discharge after 12 years of recovery from the nuclear disaster could deal another setback to Fukushima’s image and hurt their businesses and livelihoods. The government and the plant operator, TEPCO, have struggled to manage the massive amount of contaminated water accumulating since the 2011 nuclear disaster. The government has not said when or how the wastewater release will begin and it’s unclear if it will be damaging to the local economy.