China’s forceful response to Japan’s plan to dump wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean

The Japanese government’s plan to dump wastewater from the Japan nuclear plant into the ocean fukushima causes tensions with China.

The customs administration of the Asian giant reported that it will maintain the veto on the import of various foods from Japan in response to the initiative.

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In addition, the Chinese government warned that it will implement radiation testing of products from other parts of Japan, not just Fukushima.

South Korea maintains a similar ban on the importation of seafood from Fukushima and some other Japanese prefectures. However, it considers that the waste management plan complies with international standards.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Wednesday that the discharge of the wastewater would have a “negligible impact” on the environment.

On Friday, Japan’s nuclear regulator also gave its approval.

“China Customs will maintain a high level of vigilance”indicated the instance

For its part, Japan’s foreign ministry said it was considering possible measures in response, according to an anonymous official who spoke to the AFP news agency.

Japan’s plan to dump Fukushima’s waste into the sea sparked mass protests in Japan and its neighboring countries. (Getty Images).

“private sewer”

China strongly criticized the plan, accusing Japan of treating the ocean as its “private sewer” and warning the IAEA against supporting it.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said from Tokyo on Friday that he was “extremely confident” in the agency’s assessment of Japan’s proposal.

He added that the IAEA did not take sides and that its findings were based on scientific evidence.

Meanwhile, local fishing communities in Japan have also raised concerns about the plan and the effects it may have on their livelihoods.

In 2011, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake flooded three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

It is considered the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

More than 150,000 people were evacuated from an exclusion zone around the plant, which remains in place. Decommissioning of the facility has also begun, but the process could take decades.

The water equivalent of around 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools has accumulated in the nuclear building, according to the Reuters news agency.

Storage space for the water is running out, but plans launched by the Japanese government and Tepco (the company that operates the plant) to release the liquid into the sea are facing severe criticism from their neighbors, especially China.

Source: Elcomercio