Criticism and the subsequent ban by China on marine imports from Japan for allegedly dumping contaminated water into the sea, have received a response from the Japanese country. The Japanese executive has described this Friday as “unacceptable” Beijing’s decision following the beginning of the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and has defended the “scientific” basis of this measure.
“We cannot accept the decision of the Chinese government in any way,” said the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura, at a press conference reported by Efe. The Chinese authorities, who had been expressing their firm opposition to the spill, announced the day before the suspension of the importation of all aquatic products from Japan to “prevent the risk of radioactive contamination” by the treated water from the ADA nuclear power plant accident.
Nishimura added that the results of the analyzes of seawater taken the day before, when the discharge into the Pacific of water contaminated with radiation at the plant and processed to remove most of the radioactive waste, will be made public this Friday.
Discharge to the Pacific of waste
These data will be published on a daily basis both by the operator of the nuclear plant and by the International Atomic Energy Agency (OEIA), which carries out its own measurements in water, marine organisms and sediments around the plant.
Independent laboratories from several countries and Japanese fishing cooperatives are also taking samples and will publish their results in the coming days. The Japanese minister stated that the dumping plan “is being based on scientific arguments”, and therefore demanded that Beijing lift its “irreligiously applied” restrictions.
“A political and not a scientific measure”
Reactions to the Chinese veto also came from other members of the Japanese government. The Minister in charge of Consumption, Taro Kono, affirmed that it is “a political and not a scientific measure”, while the head of Agriculture, Tetsuro Nomura, described it as “regrettable” and “contrary to the international movement”.
The Finance Minister, Shunichi Suzuki, admitted for his part that the economic impact of the Chinese restrictions “is great”, which is why additional ways of supporting Japanese fishermen are being considered, apart from those already promised by the Japanese government to compensate them. for the additional reputational damage to their products derived from the spill.
The autonomous territory of Hong Kong has also banned such imports from a dozen Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, following the spill. Other neighboring countries such as South Korea and those of Beijing and Hong Kong.
