Japan Pledges to Share Radioactivity Information with Korea

Japan has promised to inform Korea about developments at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Wednesday, 26 days after the explosion on March 12. The Japanese government briefed the Korean Embassy in Tokyo on the dumping of radioactive water from the nuclear plant into the sea while promising to provide information swiftly in the future.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry called in a senior Korean diplomat at the embassy, saying releasing the contaminated water into the sea on Monday had been inevitable. The ministry reportedly said the release of the contaminated water did not violate international law and was not so serious as to cause damage to Korea.

It also promised to let Seoul know after discussions with other government agencies whether Japan will accept Korean nuclear experts for consultations.

While it had left its closest neighbor out in the cold, Tokyo maintained close cooperation with the U.S. since March 22.

A consultative body headed by Goshi Hosono, an adviser to the Japanese prime minister, met almost every day. It consists of 30 Japanese members, including government officials, nuclear power experts and Tokyo Electric Power Company staff, and about 20 U.S. officials, such as experts from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy officials and officers from the U.S. Forces Japan, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.

Meanwhile, the Korean government met at Cheong Wa Dae Wednesday to discuss nuclear power plants and radioactivity, also for the first time since the Japanese disaster.

It decided to launch a task force under the supervision of the Prime Minister's Office and convene meetings at least twice a week; work out scenarios and a timely response, depending on the levels of radioactivity from Japan; and update information online.