TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will seek to be included in a task force led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to investigate Japan’s plans to release contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.
Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星), minister of the Atomic Energy Council, said Taiwan wishes to join the task force following Japan's allowing South Korean representatives to inspect relevant work as members of the IAEA delegation. As one of Japan's neighbors, South Korea has been fiercely opposed to the decision to dispose of the water, with various protests occurring.
According to Hsieh, Taiwan submitted three requests to Japan following the announcement earlier this month that Japan would release more than one million tons of wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea beginning in two years. The requests were related to monitoring the level of radiation in both the water and marine life around Taiwan as well as improving information sharing, wrote CNA.
The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed the country’s deep concerns about the radioactive water release and its impact on oceanic environments, ecological conservation, and human health. Tokyo has promised to treat and dilute the toxic water to bring radiation levels down below WHO standards for drinking water.
