Chinese embassy in Japan reiterates opposition to ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-tainted wastewater

TOKYO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Japan has reiterated China's firm opposition to Japan's ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, urging the Japanese government to immediately stop the move.

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao elaborated on China's solemn position during his meeting with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano upon the latter's request on Monday.

Lodging solemn representations of the nuisance suffered by the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan, he noted that the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan have recently received a large number of harassing phone calls from Japan, which has seriously disrupted their normal operations.

China urges the Japanese side to handle the matter in accordance with law and earnestly protect the safety of the Chinese embassy and consulates, institutions, enterprises and citizens in Japan, as well as Chinese tourists visiting the country, said Wu.

In response to Japan's concerns over the safety of its diplomatic missions and citizens in China, he said that China will continue to protect the safety of the Japanese embassy and consulates in China while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Japanese citizens in China in accordance with the law.

The ambassador stressed that Japan, by starting the ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater despite strong doubts and objections at home and abroad, is bringing great risks, hidden dangers, and unpredictable harm to the global marine environment as well as mankind's health and safety, which has aroused strong indignation from the international community including China.

There are serious moral, scientific and legal problems in Japan's ocean discharge, the Chinese embassy said, urging the Japanese side to immediately stop its wrongdoing, communicate honestly with neighboring countries in a truly responsible manner, accept strict supervision by the international community, and earnestly adopt a scientific, safe and transparent way to dispose of nuclear-polluted water.

Japan started releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday at around 1:00 p.m. local time (0400 GMT), in disregard of concerns and opposition persisted among local fishermen as well as in neighboring nations and Pacific island countries.

Hit by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

The plant has been generating a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel in the reactor buildings, which are now being stored in about 1,000 storage tanks.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant's operator, said it plans to carry out the first round of release over 17 days to discharge 7,800 tons of the radioactive wastewater.