Fukushima row: Japan’s top diplomat in Hong Kong accuses city officials of failing to show scientific proof behind seafood ban
- Consul-General Kenichi Okada and nuclear researcher Takashi Hibiki meet Hong Kong press to discuss IAEA report findings and clear up safety fears
- ‘So far, we have not received the scientific rationale or grounds for this measure from the Hong Kong side,’ Okada says
Japan’s top diplomat in Hong Kong has accused local authorities of failing to provide any scientific proof that the country’s seafood imports will present a health risk to consumers if treated nuclear waste water from the Fukushima power plant is released into the sea.
Consul General Kenichi Okada told reporters on Wednesday that he was “extremely disappointed” at the Hong Kong government’s proposal to ban seafood from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, if the discharge plan goes ahead.
“So far, we have not received the scientific rationale or grounds for this measure from the Hong Kong side,” he said.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu previously said the ban was a necessary step to protect public health if Japan pressed on with its 30-year plan start to pumping a large amount of treated waste water into the sea from as early as August.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has evaluated the scheme to allay public fears, saying earlier this month that the plan was consistent with global safety standards and would have a negligible impact on public health and the environment.
Citing remarks by IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi, Okada on Wednesday said: “If somebody decides to strengthen restrictions after reading the report, I must say there is no scientific reason for that measure.”
The diplomat was also joined by Masami Miyashita from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and City University of Hong Kong nuclear researcher Takashi Hibiki for a three-hour press conference explaining the atomic body’s recent findings
Hibiki said only 16 grams of tritiated water, which is radioactive, would be released into the Pacific Ocean over the 30-year window, a volume equal to a bottle of eye drops.
“Only one drop of tritium water will enter the Pacific Ocean every month, There will be no harmful effect on the environment and human beings, this is a fact,” he said.
“If the Japanese government releases the tritium water at much higher levels, which is still safe by IAEA standards, the process can be finished within several years, but we are worried about reputational damage. That’s why we are utilising a longer period.”
Okada also said he urged city leader Lee during a closed-door meeting to drop Hong Kong’s existing restrictions and refrain from banning seafood imports.
Hong Kong currently requires radiation certificates for select food exports from five prefectures – Fukushima, Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi.
The diplomat last week also conveyed his “extreme disappointment” over the ban, as Lee warned the discharge plan would cause “unavoidable risks to food safety and the environment”.
Mainland China earlier this month opted to maintain its ban on imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, while all shipments from other parts of the country would have to undergo full screening measures instead of spot checks.
Under Hong Kong’s own proposal, the city will ban seafood imports from Tokyo, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano, Fukushima, Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Saitama.
Okada said Tokyo would continue to share the IAEA report’s findings and other information “with sincerity” among Hong Kong officials, in hopes the city would roll back its current curbs and avoid introducing the ban.
But the diplomat also acknowledged growing food safety concerns among Hongkongers, despite the agency’s assurances.
“Unfortunately, there is still confusion among Hong Kong residents, such as the misunderstanding of ‘ALPS treated water’ as ‘contaminated water’,” he said, referring to the country’s advanced liquid processing system for treating the waste water.
Official figures showed major food imports from Japan last year amounted to about 2 per cent of Hong Kong’s total food supply, with 6.75 per cent of all seafood consumed locally coming from the country.
Okada said he would work to promote a wider understanding of the agency’s report and the country’s safety measures so Hongkongers could continue to enjoy Japanese cuisine.
He also hoped the disposal plan would not seriously tarnish the “good relationship which has existed between Japan and Hong Kong for many, many years”.
