Politics & Government

Japan Assures Marshall Islands of Safety of Treated Water Discharge

Courtesy of the Foreign Ministry
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, left, Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko pose for photo before their talks in Suva, Fiji, on Sunday.

Jiji Press

10:31 JST, February 12, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Sunday assured her counterpart from the Marshall Islands of the safety of the discharge into the ocean of tritium-containing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Kamikawa told Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko in a meeting in Suva, Fiji, that the safety of the water discharge is assured by the monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The Japanese minister pledged continued assistance to the Marshall Islands in areas including disaster prevention. It is necessary to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law, she said, apparently referring to the need to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

Kamikawa also separately met with the foreign ministers of Palau and Micronesia. She is scheduled to attend a ministerial meeting between Japan and Pacific island countries in Fiji on Monday.