The report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot serve as a "shield" or "greenlight" for Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

This report failed to fully reflect the opinions of all experts involved in the evaluation work, and the relevant conclusions were not unanimously approved by all experts, the ministry said.

The ministry said that the IAEA did not review the legitimacy of Japan's sea discharge plan, did not assess the long-term effectiveness of Japan's purification equipment, and did not confirm the authenticity and accuracy of the data on the nuclear-contaminated water. There are limitations and one-sidedness in the relevant conclusions.

The ministry has noticed that IAEA's Director General Rafael Grossi said that the review by the agency at the request of the Japanese government is not to give Japan the backing to proceed with its plan.

Despite the content of the report, it will not stop Japan from dumping millions of tonnes of contaminated water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean for the next 30 years, said the ministry, asking questions that weren't answered in the report, including whether Japan's purification equipment can remain long-term effective and the impact of long-term accumulation of radionuclides on the marine environment, food safety and public health.

The ministry said that Japan received help from the world 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Today, however, the country chose to transfer the risk of nuclear contamination to all mankind.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides for the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. And the London Convention adopted in 1972 prohibits the dumping of radioactive waste into the sea through artificial structures.

Japan has violated its international moral responsibility and obligations under international law, said the ministry.

China once again urges Japan to stop its plan of releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the sea and call on the country to handle it in a scientific, safe and transparent manner.

The ministry said that China urges Japan to cooperate with the IAEA and establish a long-term international monitoring mechanism with the participation of Japan's neighbors and other stakeholders as soon as possible.

Read more: Chinese embassy slams Japan's plan to dump nuclear wastewater

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijng, China, June 11, 2022. /CFP)