2023-08-29 07:25:00
The Japanese embassy in China has been the target of anti-Japanese acts since the beginning of the discharge into the sea of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
By MP with AFP “We urge the Japanese side to address the legitimate concerns of all parties, immediately stop the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, fully consult with neighbors and other stakeholders, and to seriously dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible manner,” the Chinese spokesperson retorted. © TAKUYA MATSUMOTO / Yomiuri / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP Posted on 08/29/2023 at 07:25
Tokyo again severely condemned on Tuesday the anti-Japanese acts attributed to China since the beginning of the discharge into the sea of the waters of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, including a brick throw against the Japanese embassy in Beijing. These facts, including a wave of telephone harassment against Japanese companies and stone throwing against Japanese schools in China, are “extremely regrettable and worrying”, said Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
He also confirmed that a brick was thrown at the Japanese Embassy in China. The latter, questioned on Tuesday by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on this information, confirmed that they were “generally accurate”.
“So far, there have been no demonstrations or violence […] But there are a few people, alone, who have, in front of our door […] does what you just mentioned,” an embassy spokesperson said. These individuals were “arrested” by the Chinese security forces posted in front of the embassy, said the spokesperson.
China urged to “take appropriate measures”
Asked what action Beijing would take following the incidents, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that China “always protects the safety and legitimate rights and interests of foreigners in China, in accordance with the law “.
“We urge the Japanese side to address the legitimate concerns of all parties, immediately stop the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, fully consult with neighbors and other stakeholders, and seriously rid nuclear-contaminated water responsibly,” the spokesperson added.
During a press conference, Yoshimasa Hayashi for his part urged the Chinese government on Tuesday “to immediately take appropriate measures, in particular by calling on its citizens to act calmly to prevent the situation from worsening, and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals” in China.
Japan had already summoned the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo on Monday to protest against the wave of telephone harassment from China that Japanese companies apparently chosen at random have been suffering for the past few days.
The Japanese minister also called on Beijing to “provide accurate information on the treated water” from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, whose discharge into the sea began last Thursday, “rather than arouse unnecessary concern among the population by providing information devoid of any scientific basis”.
China has suspended all its imports of seafood products from Japan since last week, in reaction to the start of the discharge of water, notably from the injections necessary to cool damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant since the 2011 tsunami in northeast Japan.
Water discharge validated by the IAEA
The discharge into the Pacific Ocean of water from Fukushima has been validated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Tokyo assures that it will be safe for the environment and human health. The water was treated to rid it of its radioactive substances, with the exception of tritium, then diluted with seawater before discharge into the ocean, so that its level of radioactivity did not exceed the targeted ceiling of 1,500 becquerels per litre. This is 40 times lower than the Japanese standard for this type of operation, which is common practice in the nuclear industry worldwide.
Seawater tests carried out since the beginning of the discharge have confirmed that the level of radioactivity was in line with forecasts and did not exceed the ceiling set, according to Tepco, the operator of the plant, and the Japanese authorities.
Based on its own analyses, the IAEA also assured last Thursday that the degree of radioactivity of the tritiated water that Japan has begun to evacuate was “well below” the operational limit set at 1,500 Bq/L. . In total, Japan intends to evacuate more than 1.3 million m3 of tritiated water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean until the beginning of the 2050s, according to the current schedule.
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