UPDATE - A day after release of nuclear waste, Japan begins water sampling

UPDATES WITH DETAILS ABOUT WATER SAMPLING, CHINA STATEMENT; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEAD

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - A day after it began releasing treated nuclear water into the sea, Japan on Friday started collecting samples of seawater around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

“We will publicly disclose relevant data with great transparency and continue to seek the immediate removal of import restrictions (on Japanese products) not based on scientific evidence,” said Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s economy, trade and industry minister.

Nishimura urged China to “immediately stop” its ban on imports of aquatic products from Japan, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

China on Thursday banned imports of seafood or aquatic products from Japan following the release of the treated nuclear water into the sea.

“Japan should rectify its selfish deed of shifting nuclear contamination risk to the world,” said Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

He said China and other stakeholders have the “right to take necessary measures to protect the marine environment and public health.”

China’s market regulator said Friday it will “strengthen the supervision of aquatic products and strictly prohibit merchants from purchasing or using aquatic products originating from Japan as Japan dumped nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean.”

- ‘Environmental terrorism’

Exposing a deep division in South Korean politics, the opposition camp slammed Japan over its controversial release of treated nuclear water, dubbing it “environmental terrorism.”

However, the administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol has said it did not find any “abnormalities” as Tokyo’s release of contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant was “carried out stably and as planned,” Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

“Japan has ultimately chosen the path of an environmental war criminal,” Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung told a party meeting.

He said the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida would be “recorded in history as the criminal that committed environmental terrorism against humanity.”

Accusing Yoon as “an accomplice” in Japan’s decision, the South Korean opposition leader said: “I cannot believe the fact that the president has not said a single word regarding the water discharge issue.”

Urging Yoon to “end the silence,” Lee said the South Korean government should “seek compensation from Tokyo.”

The Democratic Party is mulling rallies and demonstrations over the weekend against Japan’s release of nuclear waste into the sea, which began on Thursday.

China has sharply reacted and banned the import of all aquatic products from Japan, while seafood markets in South Korea have worn a deserted look since Thursday.

North Korea accused Japan of “deceiving and mocking” the international community, urging Tokyo to "immediately stop” releasing treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

- Salt hoarding in China

Soon after Japan began releasing the treated radioactive water into the sea, there was a panic search for salt-related products, forcing Chinese authorities to intervene.

According to Sweden’s Lund University, “ordinary table salt can be used to measure radiation from radioactive substances, provided that it is stored in the dark.”

The authorities issued “emergency notices to regulate salt prices,” Beijing-based Global Times reported, adding market regulators warned of fines up to 1 to 5 million yuan ($137,200-$686,100) for “illegal acts that result in a significant increase in prices.”

The China National Salt Industry Group, the world’s largest salt production enterprise, on Friday called for “rational buying” of salt products.