PUTRAJAYA: While Malaysia will continue to import products from Japan, it is hoped that Japan will take suggestions and concerns on the issue of the wastewater from the Fukushima Daaichi nuclear power plant being discharged into the sea, says the Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia was satisfied with a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the matter.
However, he said he hoped the views of countries in the region, including Malaysia, would be taken into account.
“While Japan has given its assurance that the release would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment, I have expressed my hope to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for Japan to continue to take in the views and concerns we have expressed,” he said in a joint statement after the two leaders met here yesterday.
On Nov 2, Japan began releasing a third batch of treated wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant.
Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said it started releasing 7,800 tonnes of water that had been used to cool reactors that went into meltdown after the deadly 2011 tsunami.
From late August, the utility gradually began releasing 540 Olympic swimming pool-sized amounts of wastewater stored on the campus of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
Mutual interests: Anwar (second, right) addressing the Japanese delegation at Kompleks Seri Perdana. — Bernama
Japan argued that the water being released is harmless and heavily diluted with seawater.
It is also being released gradually over decades.
Meanwhile, on investments, Anwar said Japan’s foreign direct investment commitment to Malaysia this year exceeded RM30bil.
“This is a very impressive commitment from companies that are already investing in Malaysia. They have all committed to increasing, extending, and expanding their developments here,” he added.
Malaysia and Japan, he said, looked forward to enhancing collaboration in the energy transition, given their part in the Asia zero-emission community.
“We are also pleased with Japan’s commitment in support of Asean initiatives, including with regard to Myanmar,” he said.
Kishida said that Japan and Malaysia were strategic partners in the region and had been working closely in the name of peace and stability.
He said cooperation in security, defence and communications had been affirmed in his meeting with Anwar.
“We will accelerate coordination in implementing official security assistance.
“We will also enhance cooperation in maritime areas, including organising exercises between our coast guard agencies,” said Kishida.
On people-to-people exchange, he said the opening of Tsukuba University’s branch here next September would continue to play an important role in nurturing human resources.
