Japan's Embassy in Beijing holds press conference on dumping plan 'without inviting Chinese media'

Japan has not only failed to reflect on its wrong decision to forcibly dump nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, but it has again spread misinformation, attempting to confuse the international community, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, commenting on media reports hyping that China has dodged calls for dialogue from Japan. 

Japanese newspaper The Mainichi claimed on Tuesday that Beijing has "ignored" repeated proposals from Tokyo related to its Fukushima wastewater disposal plan.

In a briefing with Beijing-based foreign journalists at the Japanese Embassy in the Chinese capital, Japanese government officials also expressed concern about the description of the "treated water" as being "contaminated," saying China's "misinformation" is causing reputational damage, The Manichi story said.

Responding to the report on Wednesday, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the ministry, said the Japanese Embassy in Beijing had held a media briefing without inviting Chinese media, yet every sentence was related to China. "This either suggests ill-intended motives or a lack of confidence," Wang said. 

The Japanese side has not followed the principle of good faith consultation about the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water, and it has repeatedly attempted to mislead the international community, Wang added, reiterating that if Japan truly has the sincerity to negotiate, it should announce the suspension of the discharge plan, allow neighboring countries, Pacific island countries and other stakeholders to independently sample and analyze the nuclear-contaminated water, and agree to explore all possible disposal options other than dumping it into the sea. 

If the so-called "treated water" is really safe, Japan should choose to dispose of it domestically, rather than transferring the risk to countries around the Pacific, the spokesperson noted.

China urges Japan to stop political manipulation and return to the right track of addressing concerns from all parties. 

Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, began tests on June 12 of its newly constructed facilities for dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean, AP reported. The trial is expected to continue for about two weeks before dumping the harmful water.

Associations and industry insiders from China's Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and the mainland are holding fierce protests and voicing their fury and opposition toward Japan's irresponsible radioactive water dumping plan, urging decision makers to suspend relevant food imports and warning Japan to stop its reckless deeds in time to avoid an irreversible situation, the Global Times has learned.