IAEA report will not justify Japan discharge of nuclear-contaminated water: China

An upcoming International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report reviewing Japan’s release of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea will not prove the discharge is legitimate and justified or exempt the Japanese side from its responsibilities and obligations under international law, China said on Tuesday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks during a routine press briefing in Beijing.

"The reason China will not accept the IAEA report is that the mandate of the agency is limited to evaluating the ocean discharge plan only by the Japanese side from the very start and the agency does not have the mandate to evaluate other options," Mao said. "In this case, the report to be released will not prove the discharge is legitimate and justified and exempt the Japanese side from its due responsibilities and obligations under international law."

The ministry spokesperson hoped that the agency's report would stand the test of science and history, rather than deliver an endorsement for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water.