Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The whole world is worried about the potential impact on the marine environment, food and human health of Japan's decision to dump the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, but the Japanese government only shows eagerness to get rid of the burden, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday. 

Japan doesn't care about the fallout for other countries and is simply pursuing its selfish and irresponsible dumping plan, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on July 7 that Japan's dumping plan was "consistent with international safety standards." The discharge is reportedly set to start as early as August.

The IAEA's assessment report failed to address the concerns of the international community regarding the reliability of the purification system and the adequacy of the monitoring plan, and thus it cannot be regarded as a carte blanche for Japan's discharge plan, Mao said, while again urging Japan to stop its plan and deal with the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible and safe way.

On July 7, customs authorities in the Chinese mainland announced a ban on food imports from Japan's Fukushima and nine other regions, and will rigorously examine certificates for food imports from other regions, especially aquatic products.

Liu Senlin, an expert with the China Institute of Atomic Energy, who participated in the IAEA's technical working group for the assessment, told the Global Times on June 6 that the report, released in the name of the IAEA director general, was released without sufficient consultation with experts in the technical working group.