By ANRI TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
December 28, 2023 at 19:02 JST
Storage tanks for treated radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The Japanese and Chinese governments plan to hold discussions at an expert level early next year regarding treated radioactive wastewater being discharged into the ocean, according to Japanese government sources.
However, it is unclear whether the talks will lead to Beijing lifting its blanket import ban on Japanese seafood due to the release from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which began in late August.
The development comes after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to hold expert-level talks at a summit held in November.
The Japanese government is considering having the discussions attended by officials specializing in treated contaminated water from relevant ministries and agencies, such as the secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, the Foreign Ministry and the industry ministry, according to the sources.
As China will enter its new year holidays from Feb. 10, Japan is requesting that the talks begin before then.
The International Atomic Energy Agency--along with a third-party institution formed by China, South Korea and Canada--already has a framework to monitor radioactive substances in seawater and seafood products from the release of the treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
But China has expressed a negative view of the monitoring.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a Politburo member who is the country’s top diplomat, said that establishing a “comprehensive, effective and independent long-term monitoring mechanism by all stakeholders” would be needed.
Japan’s position is based on the independence of the IAEA.
The agenda will also include ways of conducting the monitoring with China involved.
During the November summit in the United States, Kishida and Xi agreed to “find ways to resolve the issue through consultation and dialogue, taking a constructive attitude.”
After the meeting, Kishida said at a news conference, “From now, we will hold discussions grounded in science at the expert level.”
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