Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will visit the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Sunday.

He will inspect preparations for the planned release of the plant's treated and diluted water into the ocean.

Kishida arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport late Saturday night from the United States where he held talks with US and South Korean leaders.

He and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol were hosted by US President Joe Biden at a summit and working lunch on Friday at the Camp David Presidential retreat outside Washington.

The leaders agreed to bring trilateral security cooperation to new heights.
Their meeting came as North Korea pursues its nuclear and missiles programs, and China increases its military activities.

They agreed to hold regular trilateral leaders' meetings, as well as at the ministerial level. They also agreed to enhance mechanisms to share information when future contingencies arise.

The leaders issued the Camp David Principles, as well as other documents, to summarize their talks.

Kishida also met separately with the US and South Korean presidents.

Kishida and Biden agreed that Japan and the US will jointly develop a new type of missile capable of intercepting advanced weapons, such as hypersonic missiles.

On Sunday, Kishida will visit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to inspect preparations for the release of treated and diluted water from the plant into the sea.

It will be the first time for him to inspect the facility for the release. Kishida is planning to convene a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers within a week to start the release as soon as possible.

Kishida says the release is a challenge that cannot be postponed in order to press ahead with the plant's decommissioning, and make progress with reconstructing Fukushima.

He says the government has reached the final stage of decision making that considers all factors, including how to minimize negative impacts on the fishing industry.

Kishida also plans to exchange views with executives of the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company. He says he wants to confirm if TEPCO executives are committed to the decommissioning of the plant, and to the regional reconstruction.

Government officials are also trying to arrange a meeting as early as Monday between Kishida and senior officials of the National Federation of Fisheries Co-Operative Associations.

Representatives of the fishing industry have voiced opposition to the treated water discharge plan.

Rain and groundwater mixes with water used to cool molten fuel at the plant. The accumulated water is treated to remove most radioactive substances, but still contains tritium.

The government plans to dilute the treated water to reduce tritium levels to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guidelines for drinking water quality before releasing it into the sea.

Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report saying Japan's water release plan is consistent with international safety standards.