This photo shows some of about 1,000 huge tanks holding treated but still radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), in Okuma town, northeastern Japan, on Feb 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
BEIJING – An expert in the technical working group of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said he is disappointed with the agency's recent report on Japan's plan for dumping its nuclear-contaminated water.
Liu Senlin, a researcher with the China Institute of Atomic Energy who participated in the IAEA's assessment work, said the report on the safety of the discharge of the nuclear-contaminated water from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean was released in haste, and it lacks sufficient consultation with experts and is limited in many respects.
Liu said an urgent task of the IAEA should be to establish an independent long-term international monitoring mechanism for effective supervision of Japan's measures
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi delivered the report to the Japanese government on July 4 during his visit to Japan.
When the IAEA Secretariat sought opinions from the technical working group on the draft report, the experts were given a very limited window of time, and there were no further discussions and consultation before the report was released in the name of the IAEA director general, Liu said.
ALSO READ: S.Korea opposition wants more experts to review Fukushima plan
Liu believes the IAEA's assessment was limited as it neither included other possible disposal options nor addressed the effectiveness and long-term reliability of the water purification system.
Calling the assessment "a peer review" based on data and information provided by the Japanese side, Liu said experts from various parties did not reach consensus on various issues during the last two years of work.
While raising the technical threshold and regulatory requirements on the discharge, the assessment did not appease concerns of the international community regarding its legitimacy, nor did it sufficiently discuss the follow-up tasks and long-term monitoring or make appropriate arrangements, Liu said.
The report did not represent the IAEA's recognition or approval of Japan's decision to dump the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, Liu added.
READ MORE: 'Japan's toxic nuke water not equal to normal plant water'
Liu said an urgent task of the IAEA should be to establish an independent long-term international monitoring mechanism for effective supervision of Japan's measures. Meanwhile, the reasonable concerns and participation of Japan's neighboring countries, the Pacific island countries, and other relevant countries should be fully taken into account.
Liu also called for ensuring the independence of on-site supervision and sample monitoring by the IAEA, rather than solely relying on the data and information provided by Japan.