Japan fumes at China, Russia for calling released Fukushima water ‘nuclear-contaminated’

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference that it was “extremely regrettable” that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had made an assertion “contrary to the facts.”

China has criticised Japan for releasing “nuclear-contaminated” water into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which suffered meltdowns after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

Hayashi said the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida lodged the protests immediately after the release of the joint statement that expressed “serious concern” about the “nuclear-contaminated” water.

In July 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency submitted a report to Japan confirming that the water discharge aligns with global safety standards and the release would have a “negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.”

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Hayashi said the water discharge poses “no problems from a scientific perspective,” adding, “We have garnered the understanding and support of the international community” and “will provide explanations to China and Russia in a polite and transparent manner.”

China and Russia have banned Japanese seafood imports since the water release began in August 2023.