US House Speaker Criticizes China's 'Falsities' About Fukushima Discharge

US House Speaker Condemns China’s Misinformation Regarding Fukushima Discharge

September 8, 2023 TruthUSA

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Thursday criticized China’s “falsities” regarding Japan’s release of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Japan began releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, a move strongly opposed by Beijing, which imposed a blanket ban on all aquatic imports from Japan.

Mr. McCarthy, who arrived in Tokyo on Sept. 7 for the G7 speakers’ meeting, expressed his support for Japan and said that China’s stance on the Fukushima water discharge contrasted with that of other countries.

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“I just view it as another way of the Communist Party of China putting falsities out there, trying to divide,” he told reporters. “And it’s just an unfair position that they have and a false position that they have from the rest of the world’s stance.”

Mr. McCarthy ate Fukushima-grown produce during his lunch with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to show his support. Mr. Emanuel said the United States would continue to support its No.1 ally, Japan.

“Looking forward to working together on further fortifying the #USJapan alliance and supporting [Japan], our #1 ally, as we together confront China’s latest economic coercion tactics,” Mr. Emanuel posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Kishida Held Talks With Chinese Premier

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Indonesia on Sept. 6, the first high-level talk between the two countries since the release of the water.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters about ALPS-treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Aug. 24, 2023. (STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters about ALPS-treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Aug. 24, 2023. (STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr. Kishida said he had explained to Mr. Li the safety measures Japan has implemented to handle the water discharge and urged Beijing to rely on scientific evidence. He refused to comment on Mr. Li’s response.

“We have carefully explained our position, including ensuring transparency and publicizing our monitoring and ensuring reliability through the involvement of the IAEA,” he said, according to his office.

The Japanese leader had previously requested China to reverse its ban through diplomatic channels.

When asked about the meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Sept. 7 that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hoped Japan “will work in the same direction” as China.

Japan’s foreign ministry earlier filed a counterargument to the World Trade Organization against China’s ban and urged the CCP to repeal its measure.

In the document, the ministry emphasized that Japan’s standard for releasing tritium, which is less than 22 trillion becquerels per year, is lower than those released by China’s nuclear reactors.

“For instance, the amount of tritium to be released annually from [Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station] is approximately one-tenth of the amount of trit

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