Japanese officials gave over 1 million euros to the staff of the International Atomic Energy Agency? Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China attaches great importance to the evaluation | Working Group | International Atomic Energy Agency
On June 28th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning presided over a regular press conference. A reporter asked, recently, South Korean media reported that anonymous insiders claimed that the Japanese government had obtained the draft final evaluation report of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Fukushima Nuclear Pollution Water Disposal Technology Working Group in advance and proposed substantive modification suggestions, which had an inappropriate impact on the conclusion of the final report. Japanese officials gave over 1 million euros to the staff of the institutional secretariat. May I ask if the Chinese side has any comments on this?
Regarding this, Mao Ning stated that the Chinese side attaches great importance to the relevant reports. The Japanese government has a responsibility to provide convincing explanations for the relevant reports. The Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency should also respond. In fact, the report has intensified the international community's concerns about Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea, and people have reason to question whether the conclusion of the final evaluation report by the International Atomic Energy Agency's Technical Working Group is fair and objective.
Mao Ning emphasized that China's position on this issue has always been consistent. The discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea is related to the common interests of the international community and is not a private matter of the Japanese side. China urges Japan to address the concerns of the international community and domestic people, stop forcibly promoting plans to discharge into the sea, effectively dispose of nuclear contaminated water in a scientific, safe, and transparent manner, and accept strict international supervision.
Mao Ning said that China hopes that the Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency will uphold the principles of objectivity, professionalism, and impartiality, fully respect and adopt the opinions of experts from all parties in the technical working group, and produce an evaluation report that can withstand scientific and historical tests, without endorsing Japan's plan for sea discharge. The international community will wait and see.