The Japanese government is deploying a multifaceted campaign to convince a sceptical public that the planned release of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the ocean is safe.

The government has broadcast details of the release, set up a livestream of fish living in a tank of treated wastewater, published articles in newspapers, held public events and forums, and pooled 3 billion yen ($20m) for PR projects.

Despite these measures, criticism from neighbouring countries, particularly China and South Korea, keeps mounting, showing how difficult it will be for Japan to convince the general public of its plan’s safety.

The 1.3 million tonnes of treated water used to cool fuel rods of the Fukushima plant after it was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 has already been treated with Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), removing most radioactive nuclides.

The United Nations’s nuclear watchdog recently validated Japan’s plan, stating that it meets global safety standards and will have a “negligible radiological impact to people and the environment”, a conclusion echoed by scientists. However, the reactions from China and South Korea have been mixed.

While Beijing has strongly condemned the release, Seoul has said it respects the IAEA’s conclusions. Consumers in South Korea have even been panic-buying sea salt, which they fear could be contaminated by the release.

At home, the government has met with fishermen, some of the most vocal critics of the planned discharge, and set up funds to financially support the fishing industry. The tactics employed by the Japanese government feel like “propaganda”, according to Shohei Makiuchi, a freelance journalist who has covered the Fukushima wastewater release extensively. But the polls suggest opinions are slowly changing.

In a poll conducted by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the majority of respondents were against the discharge in February 2022, but more were for the release in March this year. Paul Dickman, a radiochemist who has advised Japanese regulators on the nuclear waste cleanup, endorses Japan’s plan to release the treated wastewater into the Pacific.

He points out that the treated wastewater will be diluted well below global safety limits and released slowly, meaning traces of radioactivity in the water will have a negligible effect on human health.

Bedi Racule, an antinuclear activist from the Marshall Islands, expresses concern at how Japan and other superpowers are using development assistance as a political tool to pursue their own interests.

The Japanese government is continuing to provide explanations to the public and international community in a sincere manner based on scientific evidence and with a high level of transparency.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi is visiting neighbouring countries to reassure them about the release. Some South Korean legislators are in Japan this week to make clear their objections.