Japan and China have clashed over Tokyo’s plan to release treated water from the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea, at an international nuclear nonproliferation meeting in Vienna.
China told the preparatory committee meeting for the 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference on Monday that the international community is concerned about the Japanese plan to release the contaminated water and that Tokyo should withdraw it.
In response, Japan said the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that the water release plan is consistent with international safety standards and that the discharge will have a negligible radiological impact.
Then China questioned the legitimacy of the IAEA’s review, saying it was unknown whether data on the treated water is accurate.
Japan responded by saying China’s claims were very dangerous because the IAEA’s authority would be undermined by inaccurate information.
Germany sided with Japan, saying it was confident that safety standards were met through the IAEA’s independent review.
The Japanese government has said that the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings plant in Fukushima Prefecture will begin releasing the treated water into the Pacific Ocean around this summer.