Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Japan to refrain from discharging radioactive wastewater unilaterally into the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese government announced last year that it would release 1.25 million tonnes of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, and announced weeks ago that the discharge would start around this spring or summer, which has sparked widespread criticism both at home and abroad.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a news briefing that there is no precedent for releasing radioactive wastewater into the ocean and not to mention, the discharge will last for 30 years. 

She noted that the Japanese side has yet to provide sufficient scientific and factual evidence to address the international community's concerns on the legitimacy, data reliability, effectiveness of the purification device and environmental impact of the wastewater discharge plan.

Read more: IAEA will continue to review Fukushima wastewater release plan

Mao added that on the safety standards, Japan's discharging plan is inconsistent with the assessment report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last year.

She pointed out that Japan approved the discharging plan at a time when the IAEA was still conducting its review and assessment of the wastewater, and recently the country once again unilaterally announced it would soon begin discharging the wastewater.

"Japan's behaviors raise questions about whether Japan values the authority of the agency and the technical working group. Is there a time limit Japan set for the assessment review of the working group? Has Japan already decided to proceed with the discharge plan regardless of the outcome of the assessment?" Mao questioned. "It is necessary for Japan to give responsible answers to these questions."

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Int'l community voices concerns over Japan's wastewater release plan

Mao urged Japan to pay attention to the rational concerns of all parties, take supervision from the international community and tackle wastewater in a scientific, transparent and safe way, adding that Japan should refrain from releasing wastewater unilaterally before having an extensive consultation with the neighboring countries and international organizations.

Since Japan announced its radioactive wastewater discharging plan, environmental groups, fisheries organizations, and neighboring countries have immediately condemned the decision, concerning the possible impact of the discharge on marine life, fisheries, the environment and people's health.

To ensure the safety of the disposal of Japan's wastewater, Mao said China hopes that the IAEA will review this matter by upholding the principles of objectivity, fairness and science, and strictly implementing the agency's nuclear safety standards.

"We look forward to the review report of the agency and will carefully study it," Mao noted.