By Maya Kaneko,
New Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi vowed Tuesday that he will "tenaciously" negotiate with Beijing to solve a bilateral row over the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea.
The ambassador, who arrived in Beijing earlier in the day, said the two Asian neighbors need to "work constructively based on science" to find common ground despite their differences on the water discharge, adding at a press conference that Tokyo hopes to hold expert consultations on the issue at an early date.
In response to the water release that began in August, China imposed a total ban on seafood imports from Japan, saying the water was nuclear contaminated.
During their meeting in November in San Francisco, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that the two countries will hold expert consultations on the issue and build "mutually beneficial" relations based on common strategic interests.
Kanasugi said he believes it is his task in Beijing to "try to arrange the environment for dialogue and consultations under the broad framework" indicated by the two leaders.
The 64-year-old envoy, who served as Japan's ambassador to Indonesia before moving to Beijing, also pledged to strive for an early release of five Japanese nationals currently detained in China for alleged spying activities.
The five include a senior Astellas Pharma Inc. employee whom Beijing authorities have detained since March and formally arrested in October.
Kanasugi's predecessor, Hideo Tarumi, met the Astellas employee before his three-year tenure ended earlier this month, and the new envoy said he will consider doing likewise, as ensuring the safety of Japanese nationals is a "top priority."
The details of how the businessman, a former senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, allegedly violated Chinese laws remain unknown, with Kanasugi pointing to "lack of transparency" in the country's judicial process.
On the dispute over the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, the ambassador said he will keep explaining Tokyo's position that the islets are an "inherent territory" of Japan based on international law and history." He went on to say he would deal appropriately with the intrusion of Chinese vessels into waters near the islands, which China clams and calls Diaoyu.
Kanasugi is the first Japanese envoy to Beijing since 2016 not from the "China School" of diplomats who have undergone Chinese-language training. The envoy stressed at the news conference that teamwork is important at the embassy and expected China experts among his staff to help him.
Prior to his stint in Jakarta, Kanasugi headed the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.
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