Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

Scientists from China and other countries,MK sport organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have been independently collecting samples of nuclear-contaminated water to be discharged and seawater, and participating in marine life sampling from the discharge facility at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and its nearby waters from February 19 to 21, a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday, in response to a question regarding related reports.
 
This is part of the steps that Japan has promised to take on the issue of the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, said Guo Jiakun, the spokesperson of the ministry.

Going forward, we will keep you updated on the progress of the ongoing international monitoring of the nuclear-contaminated water and China's independent sampling and monitoring, Guo said. 

Japanese media outlet Kyodo News reported on Thursday that as part of additional monitoring to verify the discharge of treated water from the plant, the IAEA collected seafood samples off the coast of Fukushima on Thursday, and a Chinese analytical institution also took part in the monitoring, making it the first time China has sampled the Japanese seafood products under the IAEA structure.

The IAEA also posted pictures on its official website about the sampling. Scientists from the Third Institute of Oceanography in China, the Korean Institute for Nuclear Safety in Republic of Korea and the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland collected seawater samples from a boat in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, according to the information on IAEA's website. 

In response to a follow-up question from the Global Times on whether the marine life samples collected by Chinese experts have arrived in China, Guo said the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea involves many aspects. It is a complex and highly scientific issue. 

To fully assess the impact of the discharge in a science-based way, Chinese scientists, organized by the IAEA, collected different kinds of samples, including the seawater and marine life samples in the vicinity of the discharge outlets and the nuclear-contaminated water to be discharged at the discharge facility of the power plant. China will continue to work with the international community to improve relevant arrangement, the spokesperson said.   

Guo also noted recently, the marine life samples that Chinese scientists had collected arrived in China. Rigorous independent testing and analysis are being carried out by professional Chinese research institutes, and results will be released in a timely manner.

China and Japan reached an agreement on ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water in September 2024. 

Under the agreement, Japan welcomes the establishment of a long-term international monitoring arrangement within the IAEA framework to oversee key stages of the nuclear-contaminated water discharge, and will ensure that China and all other stakeholders can participate substantively in the arrangement allowing participating countries to conduct independent sampling, monitoring, and inter-laboratory comparisons, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry. 

Neighboring countries including South Korea, Russia and China have expressed great concern over the marine products and the safety of their people, as the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water could potentially harm marine ecosystems and public health, and we have been engaging in discussions with Japan on the issue diplomatically in years, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.  

"There have been some positive signals in China-Japan relations, which might indicate an acceleration in discussions," Da said.   Engaging in such multilateral monitoring and sampling work allows for the acquisition of detailed data and scientific evidence, Da said. "This will help clear obstacles for future communication and cooperation between China and Japan regarding gradually resuming imports of Japanese aquatic products that meet the regulation requirements and standards."