No matter how the Japanese side tries to gloss over the issue, it cannot "whitewash" the plan to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

The Japanese government has recently tried to justify its discharge plan on different international platforms, including the NATO summit and the series of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meetings. However, many fisheries associations in Japan oppose the government's discharge plan.

In response, Mao noted that the Japanese government has launched a global public relations campaign on the issue of dumping Fukushima's wastewater into the sea and attempted to use a special fund to buy silence domestically and use the International Atomic Energy Agency assessment report as a "pass," as if the discharge is an absolute necessity.

"If the nuclear-contaminated water is safe, it needn't be discharged into the sea, and if it is not safe, it shouldn't be discharged," Mao said, adding the legitimacy and safety of Japan's discharge plan have been questioned internationally.

She also noted that a recent poll by Japanese media shows that over 80 percent of the Japanese people believe the government's explanation about the nuclear wastewater discharge is insufficient.

"China urges Japan to honestly respond to the legitimate concerns of the international community and its domestic public, stop promoting the discharge plan, fully consult with its neighboring countries in a sincere manner, responsibly dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water and accept strict international supervision," said Mao.

(Cover: A view of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. /CFP)