China, Russia concern over contaminated water

NHK:  China and Russia have expressed concern over Japan discharging water contaminated with relatively low-level radiation from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei released a statement on Friday saying China wants Japan to take appropriate measures to protect the ocean environment based on international laws. He urged the Japanese government to provide China with comprehensive and accurate information in a timely manner.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Russia's foreign ministry expressed displeasure by pointing out that Japan informed Russia of its move to dump the contaminated water 2 days after it began the operation earlier this week.

The ministry urged Japan to provide concerned parties with complete information about the situation at the crippled nuclear power plant. It also expressed the hope that Japan will take measures to prevent further discharges of radioactive water into the ocean.

Russia's health authorities say that radioactive contamination has not been detected in the country at present. However, they say if the contamination spreads to a wider area and becomes more serious, it could restrict fishing in waters off its far-eastern coast.

On Tuesday, South Korea expressed similar concerns over the dumping and criticized the Japanese side for failing to notify it ahead of time.