China: "If Japan's contaminated water is harmless, use it for agricultural and industrial purposes"

Continuous Criticism of Fukushima Nuclear Plant Contaminated Water Ocean Discharge Plan

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has pressured the Japanese government over its plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, questioning, "If it is harmless, why not discharge it domestically in Japan or use it for agricultural and industrial water?"

On the 10th, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing, "The Japanese government repeatedly claims that the contaminated water is safe and harmless, but many people wonder why Japan itself does not discharge it domestically or use it for agricultural and industrial purposes."

Wang Wenbin, Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Spokesperson Wang criticized Japan, as the chair country of this year's Group of Seven (G7) summit, urging it to "address the concerns of the international community with a responsible attitude," and said, "It is disappointing and unsettling that Japan is pushing forward with the plan to discharge contaminated water into the ocean despite the concerns of neighboring Asian countries and the international community."

He added, "Japan consistently claims to be a responsible member of the international community, but I remind them that they should not just shout slogans about being a responsible country; they must seriously respond to the concerns of the international community and earn the trust of Asia and the international community through concrete actions."

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials explained the contaminated water storage tanks to foreign journalists at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on February 2 [Photo by Yonhap News].

Amid plans for a South Korean expert inspection team to visit Fukushima following the recent Korea-Japan summit agreement, China has been criticizing Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water into the ocean day after day.

Earlier, at a regular briefing on the 8th, spokesperson Wang expressed the view that the dispatch of the South Korean expert inspection team could only provide justification for Japan's ocean discharge of contaminated water.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.