China to assess nuke wastewater threat

CHINA will assess possible threats posed by Japan’s release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant to the safety of related food and agricultural products and their trade, the commerce ministry said yesterday.

According to plans unveiled by Japan on Tuesday, the release of more than 1 million tons of contaminated water into the sea from the plant crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 will start in about two years after filtering it to remove harmful isotopes. The plan drew immediate opposition from China and South Korea.

China is concerned about Japan’s unilateral decision to discharge wastewater from Fukushima into the sea, Gao Feng, the ministry’s spokesman, said. “We will closely follow the development of the situation and assess possible threats posed to the safety of related food and agricultural products and their trade, to ensure the safety of Chinese consumers,” said Gao.

China’s foreign ministry said that China shares a common stance with South Korea opposing Japan’s action. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that by saying the wastewater is safe, Japan was only referring to the data collected by itself, lacking evaluation and supervision by a third party including international agencies. If certain Japanese politicians are trying hard to prove that the nuclear wastewater is safe, then they should use the wastewater to drink, cook, clean and irrigate, Zhao said.