Japan begins release of water from Fukushima nuclear plant into Pacific

Protesters hold a banner which reads "No dumping radioactive water into the ocean" during a rally in front of the TEPCO headquarters on Aug 24, 2023, in Tokyo. - AP

NAMIE, Japan (AFP): Japan began releasing wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday (Aug 24) despite angry opposition from China and local fishermen.

The start of the discharge of around 540 Olympic swimming pools' worth of water over several decades is a big step in decommissioning the still highly dangerous site 12 years after one of the world's worst nuclear accidents.