The disposal of nuclear polluted water in Japan should be scientific, open, transparent and safe (bell)

　　The Japanese side should immediately stop all preparations for discharging the nuclear polluted water into the sea, and conduct full and meaningful consultations with neighboring countries and international institutions, including finding the best disposal plan other than discharging the nuclear polluted water into the sea, so as to ensure that the nuclear polluted water is disposed scientifically, openly, transparently and safely, and subject to strict international supervision.

　　On April 13, 2021, the Japanese government unilaterally announced the decision to discharge Fukushima nuclear polluted water into the ocean. In the past two years, both the Japanese people and the international community have expressed strong concern about the possible impact of the Japanese government’s move. For selfish reasons, the Japanese government ignores the global public interest and regards the international rule of law as nothing. So far, it is still stubbornly promoting the preparations for discharging nuclear polluted water into the sea, and refuses to respond positively to the concerns of the international community, further and further on the wrong road.

　　On March 11th, 2011, the highest-level nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, which caused the cores of three nuclear reactors to melt and be damaged, and a large amount of radioactive materials were released. The Fukushima nuclear accident brought a heavy disaster to the Japanese people. China and other neighboring countries expressed deep sympathy for the accident and provided timely humanitarian assistance to the Japanese government and people. More than 10 years later, the Japanese government ignored the voice of the international community and chose to discharge nuclear polluted water into the ocean on which human beings depend for survival, which made people feel chilling.

　　Japan’s nuclear polluted water was in full contact with the molten core, containing more than 60 radionuclides, including carbon — 14. Iodine — Radionuclide with extremely long half-life such as 129. Japan uses dilution to reduce the concentration of radioactive substances in nuclear polluted water, but does not control the total amount of all radionuclides. Japan claims that the treated nuclear polluted water is safe and harmless, but it is unwilling to discharge it into Japan’s inland rivers or use it as agricultural and industrial water at the request of Pacific island countries. The Japanese approach is tantamount to deceiving others.

　　Japan’s plan to discharge nuclear polluted water into the sea is to put domestic self-interest above international public interest. There is no precedent for nuclear polluted water to be discharged into the sea. Japan should fully consult with all stakeholders and relevant international organizations to determine the safest disposal plan. However, the Japanese government unilaterally announced that it would discharge the nuclear polluted water into the sea, deliberately limiting the authorization of the technical working group of the International Atomic Energy Agency and only allowing it to evaluate the plan chosen by the Japanese side, thus promoting the IAEA’s "approval" of the Japanese plan. Many countries have asked Japan to consider other plans such as long-term storage of nuclear polluted water. For the sake of immediate economic costs, Japan turned a deaf ear, went its own way, and was extremely irresponsible, which also had a long-term negative impact on its national image.

　　Japan has hoarded more than 1.3 million tons of nuclear polluted water, and it is estimated that the discharge time will be as long as 30 years. The impact of the whole process is extremely uncertain. There is no effective treatment technology for many radionuclides contained in nuclear polluted water, and some radionuclides with extremely long half-life may spread with ocean currents and form biological enrichment effect, which will increase the total amount of radionuclides in the environment. The reliability of Japanese "multi-nuclide removal equipment" and the long-term effectiveness of related projects are still in doubt. According to the data released by Japan in March this year, nearly 70% of the nuclear polluted water treated by this equipment is still not up to standard. Once the nuclear polluted water is discharged into the sea, the radionuclides in it will spread to the global waters in 10 years, affecting the global marine environment and marine life.

　　The discharge of nuclear polluted water into the sea has a cross-border impact. According to general international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Japan has the obligation to take all measures to avoid environmental pollution, to fully consult with countries that may be affected, to assess and monitor environmental impacts, to take preventive measures to minimize risks, to ensure information transparency and to carry out international cooperation. The Japanese side tried to find various excuses to shirk its responsibilities and evade its international obligations, and only unilaterally informed the countries concerned about the decision and preparation progress of the sea discharge. So far, it has not fully responded to many questions raised by China and Russian professional and technical departments on the Japanese sea discharge plan from a scientific point of view and failed to win the trust of the international community.

　　On the issue of disposal of nuclear polluted water, which is of great international public interest, what Japan has done is far from the expectations of the international community. Japan should immediately stop all preparations for the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea, and conduct full and meaningful consultations with neighboring countries and international institutions, including finding the best disposal plan other than the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea, so as to ensure that the nuclear contaminated water is disposed of scientifically, openly, transparently and safely, and subject to strict international supervision.