TOKYO, April 3. /TASS/. Russia has repeatedly requested access for its experts to analyze samples in connection with the discharge of water from the damaged Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the ocean, but Japan refuses to grant it, Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev said in an interview with TASS. In such conditions one cannot speak about any serious dialogue and the abolition of previously introduced restrictions on the import of Japanese fish and seafood, he said.
"As for the conversation with Tokyo regarding the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, for quite some time we have been trying to achieve an appropriate level of transparency in the actions that the Japanese side is carrying out as part of their work to deal with the consequences of the disaster. But, despite repeated official requests to ensure Russian specialists have access to measure and analyze water samples, the Japanese stubbornly refuse to do it," the diplomat said.
"In a situation where we do not have our own objective data, we can actually rely only on figures that are published in open sources, including through the IAEA. In this regard, we cannot speak about some kind of serious dialogue, let alone the possibility of lifting restrictions at this stage," he added.
Tokyo's decision to begin discharging water from the damaged Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the ocean provoked discontent in a number of countries. The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China completely stopped importing seafood from Japan since August 24 last year, when the first stage of water discharge began. The Russian agricultural watchdog (Rosselkhoznadzor), as a precautionary measure, from October 16 joined the temporary restrictive measures of China regarding the import of fish and seafood from Japan.
According to Nozdrev, "the decision of Rosselkhoznadzor was absolutely correct and, most importantly, prompt." He added that "at present, almost all countries pay special attention to the safety of food products."
Tokyo is calling for restrictions on imports of Japanese seafood to be lifted, calling them "scientifically unfounded".