China voices concern over Japan's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into sea

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday expressed concern over Japan's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has released a draft of its review report on the application to discharge the water. The NRA will decide on whether the plan is to be officially approved after a 30-day public review, according to media reports.

"China is concerned about these reports," Zhao told a regular news briefing.

Recently, the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company have made frequent efforts to push forward the plan to release the nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. They have accelerated the approval process for the discharge plan and started the construction of the tunnel outlet to dump the nuclear-contaminated water and other projects, he said.

Meanwhile the Japanese side has refused to respond to the legitimate and reasonable concerns of the international community and its own people. So far, it has been unable to offer a thorough and convincing explanation on issues regarding the legitimacy of the ocean discharge option, the reliability of relevant data, the efficacy of the treatment system and the uncertainty of environmental impact.

"Such selfish acts are unacceptable," Zhao said.

The Japanese side should fully consult with stakeholders including neighboring countries and relevant international organizations, and find a proper way to dispose of the contaminated water, rather than pushing for a plan to discharge the contaminated water into the sea, Zhao said.