Japan launched the eighth round of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea, and China protested against it for the eighth time
According to Japanese media news, on August 7, local time, Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) opened the 8th round (batch) discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea. According to the report, this round of discharge will continue until August 25, with a discharge of about 7,800 tons.
According to previous reports, TEPCO said that since August 24, 2023, Japan has carried out seven rounds of nuclear-contaminated water discharge operations, with a total discharge of about 55,000 tons of nuclear-contaminated water.
A year ago, during the first round (first round) of the discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry at a regular press conference and the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Japan began to speak out on behalf of the Chinese side, openly expressing protest and opposition, and perseveringly.
However, over the past year, Japan has turned a deaf ear and insisted on going its own way, unilaterally pushing the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and continuing to transfer the risk of nuclear contamination to the world.
Recently, the Chinese side, which has remained unchanged, has carried out its eighth public protest and opposition-for-tat, as detailed below:
1. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Japan's continuous discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is extremely irresponsible
In response to Japan's launch of the eighth round of discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said:
China's position on opposing Japan's unilateral discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean has not changed. The discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima concerns the health of all mankind, the global marine environment, and the international public interest, and is by no means a private matter for Japan. It is extremely irresponsible for the Japanese side to continue to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea and pass on the potential pollution risk to the whole world without addressing the concerns of the international community about the safety of the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, the long-term reliability of the purification equipment, and the effectiveness of monitoring arrangements. The Chinese side has expressed its concern to the Japanese side on many occasions and has had in-depth communication with the Japanese side.
We urge Japan to fully cooperate with the establishment of a long-term, independent and effective international monitoring arrangement with the substantive participation of its neighbors and other stakeholders.
2. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Japan answered reporters' questions on Japan's launch of the eighth batch of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Japan commented on TEPCO's launch of the eighth round of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea on August 7:
The discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima concerns the health of all mankind, the global marine environment, and the international public interest, and is by no means a private matter for Japan. China firmly opposes Japan's continued discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea and the transfer of potential pollution risks to the rest of the world without addressing the concerns of the international community about the safety of discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, the long-term reliability of the purification equipment, and the effectiveness of monitoring arrangements. We have expressed our concerns to the Japanese side on many occasions and have had in-depth communication with the Japanese side.
We urge Japan to fully cooperate with the establishment of a long-term, independent and effective international monitoring arrangement with the substantive participation of its neighbors and other stakeholders.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Chinese Embassy in Japan