VIENNA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday welcomed the agreement between China and Japan regarding the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean, commending China for its "constructive approach" in achieving the progress.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that China has played a "decisive role" in achieving the latest positive progress.
The Japanese government unilaterally started the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean on August 24, 2023.
China, as one of the most important stakeholders, is firmly opposed to this irresponsible move, and has urged Japan to seriously address concerns in and outside Japan, to earnestly fulfill its obligations, to give full cooperation in the establishment of an independent and effective long-term international monitoring arrangement in which stakeholders can participate substantively.
The competent departments of China and Japan have recently conducted multiple rounds of consultations on the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean, it was announced earlier on Friday.
The agreement reached by the competent departments of China and Japan includes that Japan welcomes the establishment of a long-term international monitoring arrangement within the IAEA framework covering key stages in the discharge of the nuclear-contaminated water, and will ensure that China and all other stakeholders can participate substantively in the arrangement and that these participating countries can carry out independent sampling and monitoring as well as inter-laboratory comparisons.
In a statement released the same day, Grossi said the IAEA will coordinate with Japan and other stakeholders, including China, to ensure the proper implementation of additional measures. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of the process through full transparency.
The IAEA chief told Xinhua that the agency will act as a "bridge" to facilitate the implementation of the China-Japan agreement.
During the interview, Grossi also praised China's "impressive" achievement in developing nuclear energy and technologies.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's accession to the IAEA. Noting the "very important" relationship and deep cooperation between the IAEA and China, Grossi said he looks forward to even closer collaboration moving forward. ■
