Japan "Scientific Safety of Contaminated Water, Politely Providing Information to Korea"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the South Korean government's release of a report reviewing the safety of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant's contaminated water discharge plan into the ocean, the Japanese government stated that it "recognizes the report as being based on Japan's response."

Matsuno Hirokazu, Chief Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson for the Japanese government, explained at a press conference on the afternoon of the 7th, "So far, Japan has provided polite information and explanations based on scientific evidence regarding the safety of the treated water through opportunities such as a director-level briefing and a site inspection by experts in May."

Earlier, the South Korean government announced a review report stating that "if Tokyo Electric Power Company's contaminated water treatment plan is followed as planned, it meets discharge standards and targets, and complies with international standards such as those of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."

In response, Minister Matsuno emphasized, "Japan will continue to politely explain the safety of the treated water discharge into the ocean to South Korea and the international community with transparency based on scientific evidence."

He added, "The disposal of treated water is an unavoidable task to steadily proceed with the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and to realize the revitalization of Fukushima."

Regarding the timing of the contaminated water discharge, he said, "We have indicated a prospect of starting around summer, and this policy remains unchanged," adding, "The specific timing will be determined after the entire government confirms the status of safety assurance and measures against reputational damage."

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