Beijing: Crucial to maintain intl. monitoring on Fukushima radioactive water after splash accident

Dragon TV: On October 25, radioactive waste water was splashed onto workers at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which captured public attention. TEPCO, the company concerned, recently revealed that the actual amount of radioactive waste water that was splashed is not the initially announced 100ml, but several liters, which is dozens of times what the company initially claimed. What’s your comment? Wang Wenbin: The incident again exposes the long-existing problems with TEPCO’s internal management and its habit of deceiving the public. In the past 12 years since the Fukushima nuclear accident, TEPCO’s handling of the aftermath has been highly problematic. There have been several revelations about TEPCO’s delays in reporting and covering up of accidents or tampering with important data, which means the company puts business interests far ahead of environmental safety and people’s health. Right on the next day of the splash incident, TEPCO announced it will soon start the third round of nuclear-contaminated water ocean discharge. How would a company with such a bad record ensure safety and be responsible in the discharge management that will last for 30 years or even longer? How exactly does Japan’s self-claimed “safe and transparent” ocean discharge scheme make people feel safe? The incident once again highlights the importance of an international monitoring arrangement that will remain effective over the long run. We urge Japan to respond to international concerns with all seriousness, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible way, and offer full cooperation in setting up an effective international monitoring arrangement that has the full and substantive participation of Japan’s neighboring countries and other stakeholders. The IAEA should also play a constructive role, step up to its responsibility of providing rigorous supervision on Japan’s ocean discharge and prevent the ocean discharge from causing long-term damage to the marine environment and people’s health. __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!