Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –
International experts conducted sampling of seawater and fishery products this week near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. (Photo: P. McGinnity/IAEA)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) led a team of international experts in conducting seawater sampling and fishery product selection this week near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS).
The mission, conducted from 4 to 5 February, is the seventh implemented as part of the Additional Measures under the framework of the IAEA, which aim to enhance transparency and broaden international participation. These measures enable hands-on independent measurements of the concentration level of the water and fishery products by third parties to ensure that the discharge of treated water – processed through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and initiated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) in August 2023 – remains consistent with international safety standards.
The IAEA began implementing these Additional Measures in October 2024. In February 2025, the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi presided over the Additional Measures to collect seawater samples in the vicinity of FDNPS.
International experts from the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and Switzerland, alongside IAEA staff, conducted hands-on sampling of the seawater and fishery products on Wednesday and today.
Samples collected during this week’s mission will be analysed by participating laboratories including: the China Institute for Radiation Protection, the Korea Institute for Nuclear Safety, the Institute for Problems of Environmental Monitoring of the Research and Production Association “Typhoon” in the Russian Federation, the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland, the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco and designated laboratories in Japan.
All international laboratories involved are members of the IAEA’s Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network, selected for their demonstrated expertise and analytical excellence.
In December 2025, the IAEA Task Force confirmed that the discharge of ALPS‑treated water from Japan’s FDNPS continues to progress in line with relevant international safety standards.