IAEA chief Rafael Grossi thanks Japan's PM for ensuring safety at Ukraine's nuclear plants

On Thursday, the Director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to express his gratitude for Tokyo's crucial assistance in IAEA's mission for ensuring safety and security at war-torn Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Taking to Twitter, the IAEA chief also reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to supervise treated water discharge from Fukushima Daiichi. 

According to the Anadolu Agency report, Grossi was informed of the status of the plan to release radioactive water into the sea at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear facility during his visit to Japan. 

Japan committed to providing roughly $2.1 million to help the IAEA assess the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants

In addition to this, Japan has committed to providing roughly $2.1 million to help the IAEA assess the safety of Ukraine's nuclear power stations. After the meeting on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as well as IAEA Chief Grossi declared that amid the Russia Ukraine war, they have decided to continue cooperating in guaranteeing the security of nuclear power reactors in Ukraine. 

According to Hayashi, Japan is also funding the deployment of IAEA specialists and required equipment to Ukraine's nuclear sites. 

Furthermore, the Japanese government has agreed to boost its economic assistance to Ukraine in order to help the country recover from the damages inflicted by the Russian invasion. Given the degree of destruction that the war has imposed on Ukraine, Japan stated in April that a loan of $300 million would be delivered to Ukraine, but now Japan has chosen to double the loan amount and pay a total of $600 million to the embattled nation. 

This monetary aid will be co-financed with the World Bank, as per the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). On May 19, Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida revealed his decision. Apart from this, on Monday, the Japanese government signed a 13 billion Yens ($100 million) loan accord with Ukraine, which would be included in the Ukrainian government's budget. This financing will be used to strengthen "de-monopolization and anti-corruption institutions," improve "land and credit markets," and improve the "social safety net," according to JICA. 

Japan has always denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine since the commencement of the conflict on February 24. High-profile Russians have also been targeted by Tokyo, notably Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Security Council Secretary Rashid Nurgaliyev as well as LPR and DPR leaders. Japan's new penalties have targeted over 130 Russian individuals. 

(Image: Twitter/@rafaelmgrossi)