China Suggests Prolonged Marine Radiation Monitoring... "Japan Has Discharged for Decades"

Following China's opposition to Japan's discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, China has announced that it may extend its own marine radiation monitoring related to the contaminated water for a long period.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 27th in response to the question, "When can the Chinese government's ongoing radiation monitoring data for its jurisdictional waters be released?" that "Japan's discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean will continue for decades, and there is extreme uncertainty about whether it can be treated according to safety standards."

Spokesperson Wang emphasized, "Marine environmental radiation monitoring, emergency measures on Japanese seafood, and strengthening monitoring of marine seafood contamination risks are all legitimate and reasonable actions taken by China to protect national interests and public rights," adding, "The Chinese government has the capability and determination to take necessary measures."

Storage and measurement tank groups for contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) announced in July, before the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, that it would monitor the radiation environment in China's jurisdictional waters. This was based on suspicion that Japan's own monitoring was intended to justify the discharge, thus necessitating independent monitoring.

At that time, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment stated, "If any abnormalities are detected, a preliminary warning will be issued immediately to protect national interests and the health of the people."

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