One or two of the international expert panel behind the report that approved the release of treated radioactive water from Japan may have had concerns, Grossi admitted.
One or two of the panel of international experts behind the report that approved Japan’s release of treated radioactive water from a Fukushima plant may have had concerns, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said.
Asked if there was disagreement among the experts behind the report, which included experts from 11 countries, including China, which remains the plan’s fiercest critic, Raffaele Grossi told Reuters: “I’ve heard it said … but again, what we have published is scientifically flawless.”
In his first interview since the report was released Tuesday, Grossi said none of the experts had directly raised concerns with him and did not elaborate on how he had heard about the issue.
China’s state-run Global Times newspaper on Thursday reported that Liu Senlin, a Chinese expert on the IAEA’s technical working group, was disappointed with the “rushed” report and said expert input was limited and used only for reference.
The working group set up by the IAEA in 2021 to review the safety of Japan’s plan to dump treated sewage from the plant destroyed by a tsunami more than a decade ago also includes members from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France. , Marshall Islands, South Korea, Russia, Britain, USA and Vietnam.
Beijing has criticized the IAEA report, saying the agency should not approve a plan that poses risks to marine life and human health, despite assurances from Japan and the IAEA that it would have negligible environmental impacts.
Grossi said the IAEA’s report did not amount to an endorsement of the plan and that the final decision was left to Tokyo later this summer. “We’re not endorsing the plan or recommending that it be done. We’re saying this plan is consistent with standards,” Grossi said. “We don’t take sides. I’m not on the side of Japan or China or Korea. The standards apply to everyone in the same way,” he added.
Some Japanese officials are concerned that China, the biggest buyer of its seafood exports, may stop buying the species after Tokyo begins dumping water, which is expected to take up to 40 years to complete.
Grossi said he understood the concerns because “nothing like this has happened” before. He added, however, that there are also “certain political agendas” linked to criticisms of the plan, without elaborating.
Source :Skai
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