Tokyo must put end to discharge, envoy says

Japan is "selfish and irresponsible" and should stop releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, has said.

Japan's actions are "in disregard of the global public interest" and "transfer the risk of nuclear pollution to the entire world, including Pacific Island countries", Geng said on Friday. He was addressing the UN General Assembly on collaboration between the UN and the Pacific Islands Forum.

"This is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act. The disposal of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water is a major transnational issue and is by no means a private matter for Japan."

The Fukushima nuclear accident had already caused the leakage of large amounts of radioactive substances into the ocean, Geng said, and Japan's actions could bring a man-made secondary disaster to local people and the whole world.

There is no precedent or any universally recognized standards for discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, he said.

There have long been serious concerns about the impact of discharging the contaminated water into the marine environment and on food safety and human health, Geng said.

The legitimacy, legality and safety of Japan's ocean discharge plan have repeatedly been questioned internationally, he said. Japan has yet to address concerns such as about the long-term reliability of the purification facility, he said.

"China calls on the international community to jointly urge Japan to stop its wrongdoing, cancel the ocean discharge plan, communicate with neighboring countries with sincerity and goodwill, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible manner to prevent damage to the global marine environment and avoid unpredictable harm to the health and well-being of people around the world."