"Pacific Ocean Is Not Japan's Sewer," Amid Criticism from China... Aso Responds, "Then Is It China's Sewer?"

Aso Taro during the press conference. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso continues to claim that the contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is drinkable.

On the 13th Korean time, the Japanese government decided to discharge the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Japan stated that the treated water filtered through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) would be diluted more than 100 times with seawater before discharge. They also claimed that the concentration of the radioactive substance tritium would be diluted to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water.

At the time, Deputy Prime Minister Aso sparked controversy by saying the treated contaminated water was "water that is safe to drink." He argued that "(the contaminated water from Fukushima) is the same as what China and Korea are discharging into the sea," insisting there was no problem with the decision to release it into the ocean. In response to these claims, the governments of Korea and China expressed strong opposition. On the 14th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian commented, "Drink it first, then talk. The Pacific Ocean is not Japan’s sewage."

However, regarding China’s reaction, Deputy Prime Minister Aso sarcastically retorted on the 15th, "Then is the Pacific Ocean China’s sewage?" He also emphasized, "The important point is that the tritium concentration in the treated water will be diluted," and insisted, "Isn’t it drinkable? It’s a normal story," refusing to back down from his claims.

As the controversy intensified, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, who acts as the Japanese government spokesperson, stepped back and explained, saying, "It is obvious (even to Deputy Prime Minister Aso) that radioactive safety cannot be scientifically proven by such an act as drinking the contaminated water."