Japan's industry minister has vowed to fishery workers in Fukushima Prefecture that the government will make efforts to prevent reputational damage until the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is decommissioned.

Nishimura Yasutoshi visited the prefecture on Sunday and met senior members of the Soma Futaba fishery cooperative. They discussed the government's plan to release treated and diluted water from the plant into the ocean, starting around this summer.

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

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

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that Japan's plan is consistent with international safety standards.

Japanese government officials are currently considering exactly when to start the water discharge. Nishimura has held a series of talks with people in the fishery industry who oppose the plan.

In the meeting on Sunday, the cooperative officials voiced their concern. One of them cited talk that some people would not let their children eat locally-caught fish after the water discharge. Another expressed anxiety about whether local fishers' livelihoods can be protected.

Nishimura responded that the government and the IAEA will keep conducting analyses to ensure safety after the release. He said he thinks concerns will remain until the decommissioning work is over, so the government will keep working on the matter.

Cooperative head Konno Toshimitsu later told reporters that agreeing on timing for the water release would imply that his cooperative supports the plan.

He said once the water release begins, local fishers will face problems until the Fukushima Daiichi plant is decommissioned. He said that scientifically confirming safety is different from ensuring a sense of security.

Konno said that he wants the government to take swift action to prevent reputational damage.

Nishimura also met senior members of a fishery cooperative in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.

Those officials also voiced concerns about the planned water release. One of them pointed out that if China toughens its import restrictions, Japan's fishing industry as a whole would be affected.