TOKYO -- Japan on Thursday began the first round of discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in fiscal 2026.

The latest discharge is the 19th round of the ocean release since the operation began in August 2023, according to the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO).

In this round, set to run through April 20, about 7,800 tonnes of wastewater will be discharged, TEPCO said.

READ MORE: Fukushima plant discharges over 55,000 tons of nuke wastewater in fiscal 2025

The utility plans to discharge a total of 62,400 tonnes of contaminated water in eight rounds in fiscal 2026, which began on Wednesday.

Hit by a 9-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

Despite opposition from local fishermen, residents and the international community, ocean discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water began in August 2023. So far, approximately 141,000 tonnes of wastewater have been released into the sea.