Japan's Fisheries Agency to monitor radioactive materials in fish

Fishermen dry fishing nets at Tsurishihama Fishing Port in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) 

Japan started releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite raging opposition from both at home and abroad.

Japan's Fisheries Agency said it will monitor concentration levels of radioactive materials in fish caught within a 10-km radius of the power plant. The first results are expected to be released on the agency's website no sooner than Saturday.

Fishes are seen at Tsurishihama Fishing Port in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

A fisherman cleans at Tsurishihama Fishing Port after fishing in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Fishermen return to Tsurishihama Fishing Port after fishing in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Fisherman Ono Haruo sits at Tsurishihama Fishing Port after fishing in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Fisherman Ono Haruo arranges fishes at Tsurishihama Fishing Port in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)