Fukushima row: Hong Kong’s Japanese seafood ban ‘necessary’ if waste water discharge goes ahead, John Lee tells country’s envoy
- City leader tells Consul General Okada Kenichi during closed-door meeting that plan to discharge treated waste water into Pacific Ocean poses ‘unavoidable risks’
- Hong Kong ‘must put in place measures with the view to protect food safety and safeguard the health of citizens,’ Lee says
A prospective ban on seafood from 10 Japanese prefectures is “necessary” to guard against health risks if a controversial plan to dispose of nuclear waste water goes ahead, Hong Kong’s leader has told the country’s top diplomat in the city.
But Japanese Consul General Okada Kenichi expressed his “extreme regret” over Hong Kong’s stance at a closed-door meeting on Friday and “strongly requested” Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to reconsider the proposed curbs.
The city’s leader issued the warning during the exchange requested by Okada, which touched on Japan’s scheme to release treated waste water from the Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean as early as August.
Lee said the “unprecedented” plan to dispose of the large amount of contaminated waste water over a 30-year timeline would cause “unavoidable risks to food safety and the environment”.
Tokyo has maintained the treated waste water is safe after undergoing a filtration system used to remove radioactive materials.