Fukushima nuclear wastewater

Pacific leaders split over Fukushima nuclear wastewater release

The release is due to get under way Thursday morning.

"There's a possibility we may have a splinter on our view on the Fukushima discharge, on the whole, we'll probably find consensus," former PIF chair and Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told RNZ in Port Vila.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the plan met international standards, but not all Pacific leaders were convinced of the project's safety.

Rabuka was optimistic that Pacific countries, particularly those in Melanesia would eventually see eye to eye.