Japan States It Is Difficult to Guarantee Objectivity
The beach scene in Fukushima, Japan, ahead of the contaminated water discharge. Photo by Yonhap News
The Chinese government is reportedly demanding independent sampling of seawater around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the contaminated water before its discharge, according to Japan's Kyodo News.
Kyodo News cited diplomatic sources on the 16th, reporting that Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party and Foreign Minister, also requested "sampling" related to the contaminated water from Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Kamikawa during the China-Japan Foreign Ministers' meeting held in Vientiane, Laos, on the 26th of last month.
China has previously requested an independent opportunity to monitor the contaminated water from Japan. Specifically, it appears to be considering sampling seawater around the nuclear power plant.
The Japanese government maintains the position that it cannot accept China independently collecting samples, judging that it would be difficult to guarantee objectivity.
It is known that the Japanese government plans to negotiate for China to participate in the contaminated water analysis system involving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Kyodo News reported, "Since the beginning of this year, diplomatic authorities and experts from Japan and China have continued dialogue," adding, "Japan aims to expand and strengthen the current system under IAEA involvement, where research institutions from multiple countries analyze samples and compare results."
China strongly opposes the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, referring to it as "nuclear contaminated water." When Japan began discharging the contaminated water on August 24 last year, China effectively retaliated by completely halting imports of Japanese seafood products.
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