Statement by H.E. Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa

Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations

 

At the 25th International Conference on Health and Environment:

30 Years of Chernobyl Legacy for the Nuclear Safety of the World

 

26 April 2016

 

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

          I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the organizers of today’s event, in particular my friend for many years, Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, of Ukraine, as well as World Information Transfer. My gratitude also goes to all the co-sponsors.

 

          Thirty years have passed since the Chernobyl accident. To achieve true reconstruction, we believe it is particularly important to provide support for the health and mental care of the affected people. Based on this belief, Japan has implemented projects that provide medical equipment to the affected areas, for example, to more than thirty medical institutions in Belarus.

 

          Securing the safety of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and its related facilities is also indispensable to ensure the safety of the surrounding areas. In this regard, Japan has contributed 84 million euros to the “Chernobyl Shelter Fund (CSF)”. This Fund contributes to make the current shelter over the reactor stable and environmentally safe. Japan has also provided 34 million euros to the “Nuclear Safety Account (NSA)”. This Account finances the interim storage of spent fuels. I would like to announce that Japan has decided to additional 3.5 million euros to this account.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

          This year also marks the fifth year since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident caused by a huge tsunami that followed a massive earthquake.

 

          Thanks to the efforts of people of Japan and also strong support from the international community, the decommissioning of the plant and the contaminated water management has been progressing. The radioactivity density of the seawater outside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station remains low enough, compared to the density limit specified in the regulation. We finished removal of spent nuclear fuels from one of the Units in December 2014 and now we are in preparation for the removal of spent nuclear fuels and fuel debris from the other Units.

 

          After the Fukushima Daiichi accident, we established Joint Committees with Ukraine and Belarus. We have learned a lot from the experiences and knowledge collected from the Chernobyl incident on various issues, such as decontamination measures, monitoring surveys and food safety.

 

          As Japan moves forward with further reconstruction, I would like to draw your attention to an important challenge that we are faced with, which is the restrictions imposed against Japanese food products. Since the accident, many countries expressed concerns regarding contamination from radioactive materials and restricted and suspended imports of Japanese food products. Even now, some restrictions remain.

 

          Japan is thoroughly inspecting radioactive materials in its food supply based on the most stringent standards in the world. As Chernobyl officials know, regulations based on unfounded rumors impede true reconstruction and development. We hope that the remaining restrictions will be lifted based on accurate scientific and objective data.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

          Let me conclude by expressing Japan’s determination to move forward towards the future, by learning from the experience of Chernobyl and cooperating with other countries.

 

I thank you very much.