TOKYO: Japan's economy chief visited the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Monday to see equipment that is to be used to release treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean to ensure the safety of the contentious plan, while demonstrators, including many from South Korea, rallied against it.

The Japanese government defended the neutrality of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the wastewater release plan that concluded it meets international safety standards, denying allegations that Japan pressured the agency into publishing favorable results.