Anti-Japan sentiment has grown in China following the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, with acts of harassment observed such as nuisance phone calls and calls on the internet to boycott Japanese products.
A rock was thrown into the grounds of a Japanese school in Qingdao last Thursday, when the water discharge began, while eggs were hurled Friday at another Japanese school in Suzhou in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, according to Japanese government sources. Nobody was hurt in those incidents.
Some Chinese social media users have urged viewers in their posts to make calls of protest against Japan and boycott Japanese products, leading to tight security around Japanese diplomatic establishments in China.
While the Japanese government has said the massive wastewater discharge over a period of around 30 years will be conducted in a safe manner, the Chinese government has reacted strongly, banning all imports of seafood products from Japan.
A number of nuisance calls have been received in Japan since the start of the Fukushima water release, with Tokyo demanding Beijing take steps to address the situation.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry told the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo on Saturday that the nuisance calls are "extremely regrettable" and "concerning." It said in a press release, "We would like the Chinese government to take appropriate action, such as by calling on the public to react calmly."
A cultural center in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward has been flooded with phone calls from numbers with the country code for China, 86, which included messages in Japanese saying "don't dump" the water in the ocean. Such calls, also made in Chinese and English, have been reported since the water release commenced, the ward office said.
According to a Japanese government source, such calls have also been made to medical institutions and restaurants.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has warned on Chinese social media platform Weibo that the nuisance calls may constitute "criminal activity" as those made to commercial facilities could result in economic damage and those made to hospitals could endanger lives.
The embassy has called on Japanese nationals in China to refrain from speaking Japanese in a loud voice and to act cautiously.
The Fukushima water release has also affected Japan-bound Chinese group tours, which resumed earlier this month after a hiatus of more than three years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many canceling their planned trips to the neighboring country, Chinese media quoted a local travel agent official as saying.
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