中文
BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- A foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday urged Japan to revoke and apologize for its wrong decision to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked whether or not to delete his related tweet, in consideration of protests from the Japanese side.
Zhao on Monday tweeted an image by a Chinese illustrator based on the famous painting "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. The new image depicts nuclear waste being poured into the sea.
"Japan has done a wrong thing. Don't people have the right to talk about it?" Zhao said.
He said that the new painting reflects the Chinese people's concern and dissatisfaction with Japan's unilateral decision to dump water contaminated with radiation from Fukushima into the sea.
"In fact, Japan's decision has aroused strong opposition and serious concern, not only from China, but also from the governments of many countries, international organizations, more than 300 environmental protection groups around the world, and people from various countries including Japan," he added.
The nuclear-contaminated water, from the date of discharge, will affect all littoral states of the Pacific Ocean within a few decades, and the radioactive materials it contains will bring harm to the global marine environment for thousands of years, said Zhao, adding that it is extremely irresponsible for Japan to unilaterally decide to release the nuclear wastewater into the sea for the sake of saving money.
"I have pinned the tweet at the top. The illustration reflects the righteous public opinion and the call for justice, and the Japanese government needs to revoke the wrong decision and apologize," he added.
