Japan started dumping the second round of treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea on Thursday.reports operator TEPCO.

The first release of water occurred on August 24, when Japan began releasing some of the 1.34 million tons of wastewater that has accumulated since a tsunami damaged the facility in 2011.

Although Japan has emphasized that treated water poses no health risks, China has criticized the spill and banned seafood imports from Japan.

As with the first download, completed on September 11, In the second phase, approximately 7,800 tons of water will be discharged.

TEPCO noticed that The water was filtered to remove radioactive elements with the exception of tritium, which remains at safe levels.

“It was confirmed that the first spill had been carried out according to plan and safely“, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday, assuring that no irregularities had been detected.

The complete dumping, which would take decades, aims to make room to remove dangerous radioactive fuel and debris from the plant’s damaged reactors. (JO)