TOKYO — In late 2019, the Japanese government convened diplomats from 22 countries for a briefing on its handling of more than a million tons of wastewater from Fukushima’s crippled nuclear reactors.
Storage space was rapidly running out, the authorities explained, and they were considering several solutions. Among them was removing the most harmful radioactive material from the water and then gradually releasing it into the ocean. The diplomats raised no objections, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
consider several solutions 考慮幾種解決方案 harmful radioactive material 有害的放射性物質 raise no objections 並未提出反對意見
On Tuesday, when Japan officially announced that it would put the plan into action, the knives came out. South Korea denounced it as “utterly intolerable” and summoned the Japanese ambassador. China cited “grave concerns.” Taiwan also raised strong objections.
put the plan into action 實施這一計劃 intolerable 完全不能容忍的 express grave concerns 表達嚴重關切
Japan has dismissed criticism of its plan as unscientific, saying that the treated water is well within safety standards, and pointing out that such releases into oceans are routine around the world. But its argument, as the reaction on Tuesday showed, leaves Tokyo a long way from winning its neighbors’ trust, a challenge made all the more difficult by growing regional tensions on a range of issues.
dismiss criticism 駁斥了批評 treated (adj.) 處理的 well within safety standards 完全符合安全標準; within 在…裡，在…內；不超過 a long way from 有很長的路要走 growing regional tensions 不斷加劇的緊張局勢
