China: "Japan Must Actively Cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency's Investigation of 'Contaminated Water'"

This Week's IAEA Visit to Japan
Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
"Need for Data, Process Means Supervision and Inspection"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "The Japanese government must fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including discussing all possible contaminated water treatment measures."

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded on the 7th during a regular briefing to a question about China's position on the IAEA team's visit to Japan to investigate contaminated water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, stating, "There must be supervision and inspection regarding the accuracy of data and the effectiveness of treatment methods."

Spokesperson Wang emphasized, "Despite international concerns, Japan is persistently pushing forward preparations to discharge contaminated water into the sea," adding, "Japan must immediately withdraw its wrong decision and should not release contaminated water before fully consulting stakeholders and international organizations and reaching consensus."

He also urged the IAEA to maintain a fair and scientific attitude. Wang said, "We hope the IAEA will listen sufficiently to stakeholders' opinions with an objective, fair, scientific, and responsible attitude," and added, "The international community must conduct pre- and post-evaluations and supervisory inspections on Japan's contaminated water treatment to ensure absolute safety."

The IAEA team, led by Deputy Director General Ridhi Ebraar, will hold meetings with relevant parties in Tokyo, the capital, this week before visiting Fukushima Daiichi. They plan to discuss with on-site experts and review detailed technical matters, observe key points and locations for chemical agency review, and meet with senior officials from the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General, stated, "We are supporting Japan to ensure that the entire operation of water discharge over the coming decades is conducted in accordance with international safety standards," and added, "We will discuss the review schedule centered on the site to ensure that the discharge proceeds in a safe and transparent manner."

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