Japan urged cooperation in international monitoring for the disposal of nuclear-tainted water

China once again urged Japan to responsibly handle the disposal of its nuclear-contaminated waters and cooperate in establishing a comprehensive, effective and independently driven long-term international monitoring mechanism involving all relevant stakeholders.

On Thursday, a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Japan expressed strong dissatisfaction with the fourth round of releasing nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Starting on Wednesday, approximately 7,800 metric tons of nuclear-contaminated water will be discharged into the sea over a period of around 17 days, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the plant.

Despite the legitimate concerns of the public and strong opposition from the international community, Japan has continued to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, transferring the risks of nuclear pollution to the world, the spokesperson said.

The discharge began in August, despite opposition. TEPCO estimates that a total of 31,200 tons of nuclear-contaminated water will be discharged during the fiscal year 2023 ending March.

"The disposal of Fukushima's nuclear-contaminated water into the sea concerns global marine safety and public health. The series of accidents during the process of handling nuclear-contaminated water by the Japanese side fully exposes the mismanagement, inadequate supervision, and lack of long-term reliability of the nuclear-contaminated water treatment facilities," the spokesperson said.

"We once again urge Japan to seriously address reasonable concerns at home and abroad, cooperate in establishing a comprehensive, effective, and independently driven long-term international monitoring mechanism involving all relevant stakeholders, and responsibly and constructively handle the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water," he said.