Chinese representative: The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan appears to be a natural disaster but is actually man-made.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held its board meeting in Vienna this week, with China's resident representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Li Song, speaking on the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Ambassador Li pointed out that the Fukushima nuclear accident, though appearing to be a natural disaster, was actually a man-made disaster, revealing serious flaws in Japan's nuclear safety regulatory system. He emphasized that the IAEA should maintain long-term scrutiny of the post-Fukushima nuclear accident response process, and apply strict supervision to Japan in accordance with the highest global standards and best practices. Ambassador Li stated that the Fukushima nuclear accident 15 years ago disrupted the global momentum of nuclear energy development, dealt a heavy blow to international confidence in nuclear safety, and exposed serious deficiencies in Japan's nuclear regulatory system and a severe lack of nuclear safety culture. The lesson learned from Japan was extremely profound. Despite strong opposition from the international community, especially neighboring countries, Japan insisted on discharging contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean, thus shifting nuclear safety risks to foreign territories, which was extremely irresponsible and contrary to international morality. China firmly opposes the discharge of Fukushima's contaminated water into the sea and supports the establishment and continuous strengthening of an independent and effective long-term international monitoring system by the IAEA. China actively participates in independent sampling monitoring and international laboratory testing under the IAEA framework to ensure that Japan's ocean discharge actions do not pose long-term harm to the global marine environment and human health. Ambassador Li pointed out that discharging contaminated water into the sea is just the first unseemly step in the long-term process of post-Fukushima nuclear accident response. Over the past 15 years, cases of lack of integrity, deception, falsification, and radioactive leaks by nuclear power companies such as Tokyo Electric Power Company in Japan have continued to surface endlessly. While the Fukushima nuclear accident was a disaster that occurred in Japan, the post-accident response is not solely Japan's responsibility, and the international community should closely monitor the situation. Japan must face its history, effectively strengthen nuclear safety regulation, eliminate any safety hazards, willingly accept international oversight - this is the correct attitude, rather than attempting to downplay the seriousness of the situation.