Fukushima’s Waters Under International Watch: IAEA to Verify Safety for China

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed its willingness to cooperate after China and Japan agreed that China will gradually resume imports of Japanese seafood after verifying the ocean discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. 

According to the IAEA, on Monday, Director General Rafael Grossi stated that he was pleased to contribute to the positive outcome of the agreement reached by China and Japan on the ocean discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Friday. Grossi said they “will continue liaising at the technical level to ensure smooth implementation of this agreement.”  

Under the agreement, China will gradually restart importing Japanese seafood provided it can participate in the IAEA’s monitoring efforts of the radioactive water and carry out scientific verification, including independent sampling, to ensure compliance with safety standards. China had completely halted imports of Japanese seafood in August of last year when Japan began discharging radioactive water into the ocean.

The IAEA clarified that verifying China’s discharge, a prerequisite for resuming seafood imports, would rely on ongoing monitoring activities. These include IAEA experts stationed at the Fukushima Daiichi site since last year. The agency has been independently collecting samples at the discharge site to evaluate environmental impact and safety without depending on data from Japan.

So far, the IAEA has found that the eight discharges conducted have adhered to international safety standards. The recent agreement between China and Japan stipulates that the verification process will continue within the framework of the IAEA’s ongoing monitoring activities. It will also involve the participation of Chinese experts in sampling and analysis.

Grossi remarked that the agreement between the two countries “will facilitate the wider participation of other stakeholders under the framework of the IAEA,” stating that they will ensure that the additional measures are implemented appropriately and that monitoring follows in strict compliance and consistency with international safety standards.