Russia calls on Japan to be more transparent on Fukushima water discharge plans

This photo taken on February 15, 2023 shows a car passing a sign for the town of Okuma, during a government-sponsored tour of the area where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located a few kilometres away along the Pacific coast in the Fukushima prefecture. The Russian Foreign Ministry'spokesman Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday that Russia has called on Japan to be more transparent regarding its plans to discharge radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Zakharova expressed concerns about Tokyo's plans and urged Japan to inform neighboring countries about its actions to address a potential radiation threat, stressing the importance of transparency and requesting access to information and water samples if necessary.

Japan maintains that the planned release of radioactive water poses no significant danger to the environment or people's health. In addition, Zakharova highlighted some alarming facts that need further clarification, noting that Russia has stressed the need for complete transparency from Japan and called for full access to relevant information.

More safety than sorry, with Fukushima water, it's better safe than sorry.

Zakharova said that Japan hasn't demonstrated the desired level of openness in addressing these concerns, noting that Russia has sent lists of questions to Japan seeking clarification on the water discharge plans. Although some answers were received, specific questions were received with a defensive response, raising doubts about the transparency of Japan's plans.

If Japan's nuclear safety tradition were not followed, Russia might not allow the situation to develop without proper scrutiny. The concerns Russia expresses are shared among environmental groups and workers in the fishing industry, she said.

The No. Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the No. Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant has been found to have hidden information about safety issues and incidents at nuclear power plants for at least 15 years, she said.