China says "No discharge before international consensus" on Japan's Kishida nuclear wastewater release plan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Kishida Fumio, second from the left on screen) is inspecting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima, Japan, on the morning of the 17th.

On the 18th, China reiterated its existing stance that "contaminated water should not be discharged without agreement from the international community" in response to newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirming the policy to release contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing that "there has been strong opposition from countries around the Pacific Rim and the Japanese public to the Japanese government's unilateral decision to discharge contaminated water in April."

He also emphasized, "Japan must fully consult with stakeholders in the international community and relevant international organizations, and must not recklessly discharge contaminated water before reaching an agreement."

Prime Minister Kishida, after visiting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant the previous day, told reporters, "Seeing the many (contaminated water) tanks standing there, I deeply felt that this cannot be postponed. It is important to explain with transparency."

This indicated his intention to proceed as planned with the Japanese government's plan to filter the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and discharge it into the sea.

On the same day, he also visited a strawberry farm in Fukushima and tasted strawberries, which local media reported appeared to be an effort to promote the Japanese government's claim that food produced in Fukushima is safe.

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