Hong Kong takes aim at outgoing Japanese envoy in thinly veiled Fukushima attack

Hong Kong environmental authorities have launched a thinly veiled attack on the outgoing Japanese consul general who earlier said he could not discuss the discharge of Fukushima radioactive waste water with the city’s government “in a scientific manner”.

Without naming the official, the Environment and Ecology Bureau on Thursday said on its social media page that eight incidents had been reported at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in the past year.

“There are cases of environmental pollution in areas nearby. Some staff were even hospitalised. The frequency of such incidents is alarming,” it said.

“If someone claims that his car is very advanced and meets the highest international safety standards, but fails to say that his driver has a record of eight accidents in the past year, how can it be unscientific for others to express their worries?”

In an interview with Hong Kong-based Japanese media published on Tuesday, Kenichi Okada said he was shocked the government did not accept a report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, which deemed that the disposal of the contaminated water aligned with international safety standards.

He said he got the impression that it was difficult to hold scientific discussions with the Hong Kong government, and there was a discrepancy between the authorities’ judgment and residents’ views.