Arab News Japan

TOKYO: In the ongoing battle between Japan and its neighbors over the discharge of contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, North Korea has joined in the debate by describing Japan’s plans as “horrifying.”

The Director General of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection of the DPRK issued a statement criticizing both Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has greenlighted Japan’s plan to dump 1.3 million tons of irradiated water into the sea.

“If a large amount of nuclear contaminated water were to flow into the Pacific Ocean, radioactive isotope material would spread to half of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days, and to the entire world in 10 years. The inclusion of radioactive substances will have fatal adverse effects on human safety and the ecological environment,” the statement said.

“The problem is the IAEA’s unfair act of actively protecting and promoting the nuclear contaminated water release program, which is horrifying to imagine. The IAEA is not an environmental assessment agency. There is no clause or phrase in any juncture of international law that allows the IAEA to release nuclear-contaminated water into a particular country or region.”

North Korea raised concerns that Japan has done some kind of deal with the IAEA and repeated accusations raised in South Korea in the past week.

“It is said that Japan provided 1 million euros in funding to the IAEA officials who were mobilized to examine the plan to release nuclear contaminated water, and that the Japanese government obtained and revised the draft of the IAEA’s final report in advance. Secret stories are being revealed one after another, and it’s no coincidence.”

“The Director-General of the IAEA, who has accused a sovereign nation (DPRK) of exercising its legitimate rights, utterly defends Japan’s illegal and immoral acts that endanger the safety of human life and the ecological environment. This is the epitome of extreme double standards.”

The statement went on to suggest that Japan is “trying to bribe government agencies such as the IAEA with money to bring unprecedented evil to humankind.” It goes on to criticize the governments of the United States and South Korea for endorsing Japan’s plans.

“The impure powers of the IAEA, which are tainted by hegemony and immorality, and countries like the United States should be released from the earth as soon as possible.”