A group of South Korean opposition lawmakers on Monday departed for Japan to protest its planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Nine lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party and two liberal independents flew to Japan earlier in the day for a three-day trip.

The lawmakers were quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying at the airport before their departure that they would meet with politicians, experts and civic activists in Japan to strengthen their solidarity struggle and promote South Korea's opposition to the nuclear wastewater release through the global media.

They vowed to do their best to prevent the Fukushima wastewater discharge through international cooperation.

After arriving in Tokyo, the lawmakers held a protest rally in front of the official residence of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in cooperation with Japanese civic activists, according to the Democratic Party.

The South Korean lawmakers plan to make a protest visit to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regional Office in Tokyo and hold a sit-in protest in front of the National Diet of Japan.

They also plan to announce a joint statement with a group of Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday opposing the release plan, hold a press conference with foreign media outlets in Japan and a protest march on Wednesday.

Despite ongoing opposition from within the country and abroad, the Japanese government has been pushing for the summer release of the contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was hit by a massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011. 

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(With input from Xinhua)