Chinese envoy urges Japan to comply with int'l supervision over Fukushima water discharge

This photo taken on May 15, 2023 shows the logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria. (Xinhua/Liu Xinyu)

Japan's discharge plan is not the country's private matter, but a major nuclear safety issue affecting the global marine environment, public health and international public interest, a Chinese envoy said.

VIENNA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday reiterated China's firm opposition to Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, urging Japan to fully comply with strict international supervision.

"Ignoring the doubts of the international community and the strong opposition from relevant countries, Japan has obstinately launched and continuously pushed forward the Fukushima wastewater discharge plan," Li Song, China's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a meeting of the IAEA board of governors.

Japan's discharge plan is not the country's private matter, but a major nuclear safety issue affecting the global marine environment, public health and international public interest, Li said, adding that China is firmly opposed to Japan's plan and urges Japan to stop the wastewater discharge.

People attend a rally against Japan's ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 31, 2023. (Photo by Yang Chang/Xinhua)

The Chinese envoy pointed out that the Fukushima wastewater discharge is an unprecedented artificial release of contaminated water from nuclear accidents into the ocean, and there are a lot of uncertainties about the cumulative effect caused by the release of large quantities of radionuclides into the sea.

"China has always firmly advocated and actively promoted the strengthening of international supervision over Japan's wastewater discharge plan to continually improve the long-term international supervision arrangements for the plan," Li said.

He urged the IAEA Secretariat to uphold an objective, impartial and scientific attitude, boost communication with member states and continually strengthen the international monitoring arrangements for Japan's plan.

He called on the IAEA member states and the agency's board of governors to contribute to improving the international supervision arrangements and conduct regular reviews of such arrangements as well as Japan's discharge plan.

People gather to protest the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) decision on releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in front of the TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Guang)

Li stressed that Japan should hold comprehensive consultations with relevant countries, take seriously the concerns and opinions from all relevant parties, and actively support the continual improvement and strengthening of international supervision arrangements.

China urges Japan to continue its discussions with the IAEA Secretariat and member states in a responsible and constructive manner and fully comply with strict international supervision, Li said.

To prevent Japan's wastewater discharge from causing long-term harm to the marine environment and public health, he said China is willing to work with all relevant parties to support the IAEA in playing a leading role over the Fukushima issue and actively join in efforts to strengthen independent, long-term and effective international supervision arrangements.