Japan's toxic water dump not at all welcome

At a news conference held on Sunday after the two-day G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and the Environment, Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said that the G7 ministers "welcome" the steady decommissioning progress including the release of treated water into the ocean, local media reported.

However, Steffi Lemke, Germany's minister for the environment, nature conservation, nuclear safety and consumer protection, denied that it was a move welcomed by the participants. "I respect the efforts made by Tokyo Electric Power Company, operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and the Japanese government after the nuclear accident, but we cannot welcome the release of the treated water," Lemke was quoted by the media as saying.

The Japanese government in January announced its controversial plan to release radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the northeast of Japan into the Pacific Ocean will commence "in the spring or summer".

Nishimura told the media after the news conference that he "made a little mistake" by "including everything in the 'welcome'".

Germany's direct rebuke shows that Germany at least does not "welcome" Japan's controversial decision.

That the joint communique could still be passed, as evidence Tokyo desperately needs to show the rich countries' support for discharging the waste water into the ocean, should have been attributed to the word games Japan habitually plays.

Despite this, the joint communique that has been passed at last should still be regarded as a diplomatic success for Tokyo, as it does not reflect in any way the grave concerns, if not the strong opposition of the world, to Japan's irresponsible way of dealing with the waste water.

Reportedly, an original version of the joint statement, which highlighted G7 nations' "endorsement" of the plan, failed to obtain approval from most of the club.

It is a shame that Tokyo openly took advantage of its hosting of the G7 meetings to push through its own selfish agenda.