China News Service, Beijing, October 18 (Reporter Huang Yuqin) In response to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent claim that the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan "cannot be postponed", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on the 18th, Japan should listen to the voice of the international community, revoke the wrong decision, and stop advancing preparations for the discharge of nuclear-polluted water into the ocean.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zhao Lijian.
Photography: Xue Wei
A reporter asked a question. On the 17th, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishita told reporters after inspecting the Fukushima nuclear power plant that the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan is very important and cannot be postponed.
The Japanese government will explain the safety of nuclear-contaminated water discharge from a scientific point of view and transparency, so as to allay concerns from all walks of life.
What is China's comment?
Zhao Lijian said that in April this year, after the Japanese government unilaterally made the decision to discharge the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, it caused widespread doubts and opposition from the Pacific Rim countries and the people in Japan.
In this decision, the Japanese side did not exhaust security measures, did not fully disclose relevant information, did not fully negotiate with neighboring countries and other stakeholders, and did not come up with arrangements for effective supervision and verification.
The international community’s expression of concern and opposition to this is entirely justified and reasonable, and Japan cannot turn a deaf ear to it.
Zhao Lijian said that the Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that the issue of nuclear-contaminated water disposal in Fukushima is not a private matter of the Japanese family, but a major international issue related to the public health of the Pacific Rim countries and the global marine ecological environment.
The international community has raised many concerns about the rationality and scientificity of Japan’s decision to discharge the sea, the credibility of decision data, and the reliability of nuclear-polluted water purification equipment.
Japan should listen to the voice of the international community, revoke the wrong decision, stop advancing preparations for the discharge of nuclear-polluted water into the sea, and must not initiate the discharge of nuclear-polluted water without authorization until it has fully negotiated and reached agreement with stakeholders and relevant international institutions.
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