According to the Spokesperson’s Office of the Foreign Ministry, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily asked the following question at the Regular press conference of the Foreign Ministry on November 11:
“A study released by researchers at the University of Tsukuba, Japan has found that radioactive Cesium-137 from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011 has reached the West Coast of the United States, headed north through the Bering Sea in the northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean, and returned to the northeast coast of Japan about seven to eight years later, according to a Kyodo News report. Meanwhile, Cesium-137 from the Fukushima has also been detected in the Arctic Ocean. What is China’s comment on that?”
Wang Wenbin: “I have noted relevant reports. Radioactive materials from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant accident have spread across the North Pacific and even into the Arctic Ocean, according to new research by Japanese experts. Previously, authoritative international research reports have shown that the coast of Fukushima has the world’s strongest ocean current, if the Fukushima nuclear polluted water is discharged into the sea, the radioactive substances in it will spread to all seas after several years.
This shows once again that the disposal of contaminated water from The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan concerns the global marine ecological environment and public health, and is by no means a private matter for Japan alone. In his speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Forum on Ocean Cooperation and Governance, State Councilor Wang Yi pointed out that acts that damage the Marine environment, such as the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water, should be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law, so that the blue planet will always retain its clear color and leave clear seas and blue skies for future generations.
We urge the Japanese side to listen carefully to the concerns of its neighbors and the international community, take a responsible attitude towards the marine environment and human health, and reverse its wrong decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. Japan should not start the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea without authorization unless it has fully consulted with stakeholders and reached consensus with relevant international organizations.”