Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a statement on the Japanese government's initiation of the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea
On August 24th, the Japanese government ignored strong questioning and opposition from the international community and unilaterally initiated the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear accident into the sea. China strongly opposes and condemns this and has made solemn representations to Japan, demanding that it stop this erroneous behavior.
The disposal of contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan is a significant nuclear safety issue with cross-border implications and is not a personal matter of the Japanese government. Since the peaceful use of nuclear energy by humans, there has been no precedent or recognized standard for the discharge of contaminated water from nuclear accidents into the ocean. The Fukushima nuclear accident that occurred 12 years ago has caused a serious disaster, releasing a large amount of radioactive material into the ocean. Japan should not cause secondary harm to local people and even people around the world for its own selfish interests.
The Japanese government has not proven the legitimacy and legality of the decision to discharge into the sea, the long-term reliability of the nuclear contaminated water purification device, the true accuracy of the nuclear contaminated water data, the harmlessness of the discharge to the marine environment and human health and safety, the completeness and effectiveness of the monitoring plan, and full consultation with stakeholders. The ocean is the common property of all humanity, and forcibly launching the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores international public interests. Japan's actions are shifting risks to the world, continuing the pain to future generations of humanity, becoming a destroyer of the ecological environment and a global marine polluter, violating the health, development, and environmental rights of people of all countries, and violating its own moral responsibility and international legal obligations. The Japanese side has discharged nuclear contaminated water and placed itself in an international dock, which will inevitably be condemned by the international community for a long time.
The Chinese government has always adhered to the principle of putting the people first and will take all necessary measures to maintain food safety and the physical health of the Chinese people.
