New Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi vowed Tuesday that he would negotiate "tenaciously" with Beijing to solve a bilateral row over the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea.
The ambassador, who arrived in Beijing earlier in the day, said the two Asian neighbors needed to "work constructively based on science" to find common ground despite their differences on the water discharge, adding at a news conference that Tokyo hoped to hold expert consultations on the issue at an early date.
In response to the water release, which began in August, China imposed a total ban on seafood imports from Japan, saying the water was contaminated with nuclear material.