A Japanese daily is reporting that some within the Japanese government believe the release of wastewater from the Fukushima power plant should begin after the trilateral summit with U.S. and South Korea scheduled for August 18.

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said on Tuesday that supporters of the view say such a timetable respects the stance of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is accepting of the release plan.

A senior official at the Japanese foreign ministry said that because the political opposition in South Korea is attacking Yoon over his position, it is appropriate for Japan to provide political cover.

The Yomiuri said that while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida maintains that there is no change to the discharge plan scheduled for this summer, it is still necessary to sway domestic opinion and carefully analyze the situation with neighboring countries before finalizing a date.

The report added that Kishida is expected to further brief Yoon on the safety of the water release during talks on the sidelines of the trilateral summit.

Most Japanese media outlets speculate that the discharge may well begin around late August considering Kishida's diplomatic schedules and Tokyo's adamance against delaying the plan until autumn.

In an effort to convince local fishermen, the prime minister is also reportedly planning to meet with the leader of Japan's National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, Masanobu Sakamoto, sometime this month.