Matsuno Claps Back at Online Claim About Fukushima Water

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:01 JST, August 16, 2023

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno dismissed as “groundless” a report by a South Korean internet media outlet that said the radioactivity level of treated water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant exceeds standards.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the media outlet reported Monday on a document alleged to be an official telegram of the ministry, which states that July 8 measurements of treated water tanks by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. showed that radiation levels significantly exceeded standards, and that measures to meet safety standards were being considered as a result.

Matsuno dismissed the outlet as “self-proclaimed media” and emphasized that “the document purported to be an official telegram is a total forgery.” He also criticized the report for “spreading malicious disinformation by any means possible, which hinders the reconstruction of the affected areas and greatly hurts the feelings of those striving for recovery.”

The Japanese government has been increasingly wary of false information, such as that “Japan is trying to discharge contaminated water,” being disseminated by some South Korean media and China over the plan to discharge treated water into the ocean.

The Japanese government intends to immediately refute any misinformation related to the treated water. The foreign and defense ministries are responsible for gathering information under the direction of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.