Chinese, Japanese top officials meet in Jakarta

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Top Chinese and Japanese foreign affairs officials met on Friday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta as the two neighbors are at odds over Japan’s proposed plan to release treated radioactive water from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and China’s senior diplomat and chief foreign advisor Wang Yi met on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The meeting came after China urged ASEAN to oppose Japan's planned release of treated radioactive water from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant.

The two leaders on Thursday also participated in the ASEAN-plus-three talks involving Japan, China, and South Korea.

On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Japan also raised questions over the Japanese government setting around a $581 million fund to subsidize the fishing industry in Fukushima and called it "hush money."

“It must be pointed out that the Japanese side's move only compensates the affected domestic industries and ignores the safety and interests of its neighbors and the people of the Pacific Island countries,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan, CGTN reported citing a Chinese Embassy’s statement.

"This will surely arouse stronger doubts and condemnation from the international community," it said.

However, Japan dismisses China's concerns, saying the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded in a report released last Tuesday that Tokyo's plan "aligns with global safety standards and would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment."

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid