Chinese representative: China firmly opposes Japan’s unilateral decision to discharge water polluted by the Fukushima nuclear accident into the sea
Source: CCTV News 2023-05-28 19:26:22
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The 76th World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva. On the 27th, the Chinese representative pointed out that China firmly opposes Japan’s unilateral decision to discharge the water contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear accident into the sea.
The representative of China said that the discharge process of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water will take as long as 30 years. The coast of Fukushima has the strongest ocean currents in the world. Ten years after the nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, the relevant radionuclides will spread to the seas of the world. This move transfers the risk to all human beings. This is not a private matter of the Japanese family, but a major issue concerning global public health. Serious concerns have been expressed by many countries and stakeholders. Before reaching an agreement with all parties, the Japanese side shall not initiate the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea without authorization.
The Chinese representative pointed out that Japan’s justification for the discharge of nuclear polluted water into the sea can be summed up in one sentence: the water quality is non-toxic and the discharge is reasonable. What the Japanese side said is completely untenable, and convincing answers must be given to a series of questions.
First, if the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water is safe, why doesn’t Japan keep it for its own use? Why not for domestic agriculture and manufacturing? Why not discharge to domestic lakes? The Japanese side should make a responsible explanation for this.
Second, is discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea the only feasible solution? Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has proposed five disposal options. The Japanese government expert committee admitted that the cost of steam discharge, new storage tanks, cement curing and other solutions is high, and sea discharge is the cheapest method, and the pollution risk to Japan itself is the least. To put it bluntly, choosing to discharge the sea is to save money for yourself and make the world suffer.
Third, what kind of long-term impact will the discharge of nuclear contaminated water have on the world? The nuclear contaminated water is directly in contact with the melted reactor core in the Fukushima nuclear accident, and contains more than 60 kinds of radionuclides, among which the half-life of tritium is about 13 years, and the half-life of carbon-14 is more than 5000 years. There is no effective treatment technology for many nuclides. Some long-lived nuclides may diffuse with ocean currents and form a bioaccumulation effect, which will increase the total amount of radionuclides in the environment and cause unpredictable harm to the marine environment and human health. What is the intention of the Japanese side to discharge water into the ocean knowing that water is harmful? This kind of behavior that harms the common interests of all mankind for the short-term self-interest of the country must be severely condemned and resolutely resisted.
The Chinese representative emphasized that the Pacific Ocean is not the sewer where Japan dumped nuclear-contaminated water. It is extremely irresponsible for Japan to unilaterally impose unpredictable risks on the international community without conducting sufficient research and demonstration on other disposal options other than sea discharge, and to deliberately “whitewash” the decision to discharge the sea. China once again urges Japan to earnestly fulfill its international obligations, fully consult with stakeholders including neighboring countries and relevant international agencies, and dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in the safest and most secure way, and accept strict international supervision.
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