Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Japan-China summit in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Nuclear experts from Japan and China started “new framework” talks in January regarding treated water released from Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, sources said.

The discussions were based on the “resolution through consultation and dialogue” agreement reached at the Japan-China summit last November concerning Beijing’s ban on imports of Japanese marine products that started in August last year.

The two governments decided in advance not to disclose the contents of the January talks in light of the public outcry in China over the discharge of the water into the ocean.

They plan to continue to hold the talks several times in the future.

The discussions in January were held online and involved officials who specialize in treated water from nuclear power plants.

The Japanese side included officials from Foreign Ministry, the economy ministry, the Environment Ministry, the Nuclear Regulation Authority and TEPCO.

In a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November last year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demanded the immediate removal of China’s import restrictions.

In response, Xi demanded appropriate action, saying “the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the ocean would affect the health of all mankind and the global marine environment.”

But the two leaders ultimately agreed to seek a solution through consultation and dialogue. Kishida later told reporters he expected the future talks to be based on expert-level science.

Although administrative-level communication between the two governments has continued, the discussions in January were positioned as a “new framework” based on the Japan-China summit, the sources said.

The January talks are considered a step forward, but the Chinese side has still shown no signs of ending its import ban.

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