Japan's release of radioactive water 'extremely irresponsible,' Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned Japan as "extremely irresponsible" at a press conference on Thursday when asked how to comment on Japan's new round of dumping its nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea.

The wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant began releasing a third batch of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea on Thursday, after it had discharged 15,600 tonnes of nuclear wastewater in the previous two batches and plans to release the same amount in the current batch through November 20.

A spokesman at the Chinese embassy in Japan expressed the same concern and said that China's position on the discharge is clear. "Japan's continuing dumping its nuclear-contaminated water poses major risks to the security of the global marine environment," the spokesman said.

Nuclear splash incident

Two out of five employees have been hospitalized after they were accidentally splashed with radioactive liquid at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant last week when cleaning part of the piping for the plant's Advanced Liquid Processing System, designed to treat water used in cooling nuclear fuel that remains at the plant.

The bodily radiation levels of the two did not fall below a certain level even after nearly nine hours, said the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, citing the firm.

The incident once again exposes TEPCO's chaotic internal management and its habit of deceiving the public, said Wang.

The "safe and transparent" discharge plan Japan claimed is not convincing at all, he added.

Wang urged Japan to face up to the concerns of the international community, consult with stakeholders, especially its neighboring countries, and dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible manner.

He advocated an international monitoring arrangement with substantive participation of all Japan's neighboring countries and other stakeholders for the long haul should be established.

The International Atomic Energy Agency should play a constructive role to prevent irreparable consequences from the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.

In addition, Wang pointed out on Wednesday that TEPCO's handling of the aftermath has been highly problematic in the past 12 years since the Fukushima nuclear accident, with several revelations about the company's delays in reporting and covering up of accidents or tampering with important data.

"How would a company with such a bad record ensure safety and be responsible in the discharge management that will last for 30 years or even longer? How exactly does Japan's self-claimed 'safe and transparent' ocean discharge scheme make people feel safe?" he asked.