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A storage tank for the contaminated water is at Tokyo Electric Power Co’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima, Japan. Photo/REUTERS/Tomohiro Ohsumi
BEIJING – The Japanese government’s plan to dump wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (PLTN) into the sea is “very selfish and irresponsible”.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) spokesperson Wang Wenbin revealed this on Tuesday (22/8/2023).
“Oceans sustain humanity. This is not Japan’s nuclear-contaminated sewage,” Wang told reporters at a daily news briefing.
He called the Japanese plan “unjustifiable, unreasonable and unnecessary.”
“Japan places its selfish interests above the long-term well-being of all mankind,” the spokesperson stressed. “China is deeply concerned and strongly opposed to this.”
“China intends to take all necessary measures to protect the marine environment, ensure food safety and safeguard people’s life and health,” Wang said, without providing further details.
Earlier on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the discharge of wastewater into the Pacific Ocean would begin on August 24, “weather conditions permitting.”
The Tokyo Power Company (TEPCO) has been seeking approval for two years to begin disposing of water from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The plant is producing 100 cubic meters of radioactive water every day, to keep the reactor from melting, and TEPCO is running out of on-site storage.
