Atomic Energy Council Minister Hsieh Shou-shin is disputing Japanese claims that dumping radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean will not pose health risks.
Japan plans to dump tons of wastewater from the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean in two years’ time. Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso has even said that water from the plan is safe to drink. On Wednesday, however, Hsieh told lawmakers that he does not believe this claim.
The Atomic Energy Council and Taiwanese anti-nuclear groups have expressed their opposition to the Japanese plan, while Taiwan’s foreign ministry has expressed high concern over the matter.
Meanwhile, Taiwan People’s Party lawmaker Hung-An Kao is criticizing comments posted by Taiwan’s representative to Japan on Facebook. Representative Frank Hsieh wrote that the cooling water from Taiwan’s nuclear power plants is also dumped into the sea. Kao says she fears that comments like this may affect Taiwan’s ability to receive compensation for any damage the Japanese plan does to its fishing industry.
Atomic Energy Council Minister Hsieh Shou-shin also weighed in, saying the water Japan plans to dump is the result of an accident, whereas the water Taiwan dumps is not polluted.