Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday expressed regret over a number of nuisance phone calls from China and other harassment against Japanese citizens that have been reported following the start of the release of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear complex.
Earlier in the day, Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao and called on the Chinese government to encourage its people to "react calmly" and ensure the safety of Japanese people and diplomatic offices in the neighboring nation.
Anti-Japan sentiment has been growing in China since the water discharge from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea began Thursday, amid strong opposition from the Chinese government.
Nuisance phone calls believed to have originated from China have been reported in various locations, including the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, schools in the city of Fukushima, and a confectionary maker in Hokkaido.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the operator of the Fukushima plant, said it has received more than 6,000 phone calls from China over four days through Sunday, although it did not disclose the contents of the calls.
Japanese government sources reported that on Thursday, a piece of brick was thrown onto the grounds of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, and a rock was hurled into the premises of a Japanese school in Qingdao.
On Friday, eggs were thrown at another Japanese school in Suzhou, located in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, the sources said.
There have also been online appeals to boycott Japanese products.
Kishida told reporters that Japan's water release is aligned with global safety standards and has been accepted by many other nations, including the United States and Australia.
Addressing the issue of harassment, the prime minister remarked, "I must say these incidents are regrettable." He also expressed his intention to engage in dialogue "scientifically" with Chinese officials regarding the water discharge.
During talks with Wu, Okano also strongly urged the Chinese government to deliver "accurate information" on the safety of the water, which has been treated through a process capable of removing most radionuclides, except tritium.
The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo said in a statement later in the day that Wu lodged a protest with Okano, asserting that a large number of nuisance calls have been made from Japan to Chinese diplomatic missions in the country, impeding their operations.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that the Chinese government protects and ensures the safety and lawful rights and interests of foreign nationals in China in accordance with laws, brushing aside Japan's complaints.
At a news conference in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government is aware that many Chinese consumers have avoided buying Japanese products and canceled trips to Japan.
But Matsuno, the government's top spokesman, did not elaborate on the potential impact of the boycott campaign on the Japanese economy. He pledged to implement all possible measures to safeguard Japanese citizens in China.
The deepening row over the water release also seems to be casting a shadow on diplomacy, with the head of the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party postponing a trip to China.
Matsuno said Kishida's government will help rearrange the tour at an "appropriate time."
Komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi had planned to visit China for three days from Monday, but the Communist-ruled nation told the party, known for its close ties with Beijing, that "it is not the right time in view of the current situation."
As for Yamaguchi's envisioned trip, Wang said the postponement was mutually agreed upon, but Beijing attaches "high importance" to exchanges and dialogue with Komeito and stands ready to work with the party to improve the Sino-Japanese relationship.
Japan says the treated water is safe, given that it is diluted to reduce the tritium levels to less than one-40th of the concentration permitted under national safety standards before being released into the Pacific Ocean.
On Sunday, the Japanese government said the radiation levels of the first samples of seawater collected by the Environment Ministry since the commencement of the water discharge were below detectable limits.
China, however, has labeled it "nuclear-contaminated water" and reacted harshly to the release by banning all imports of seafood products from Japan.
Kishida said Monday that his government will craft by the end of this week the details of steps to support the fishery industry, which is expected to be negatively affected by the blanket import ban.
In another development, Japan's Foreign Ministry has requested its citizens planning to travel to or stay in China to be on alert, asking them to "act with care" and to refrain from speaking Japanese loudly in public spaces.
In the early 2010s, tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated after the Japanese government of then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda brought the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea under state control in September 2012.
The group of uninhabited islets, called Diaoyu in China, is administrated by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
Noda's move sparked anti-Japanese protests across China. At that time, many Chinese people burned Japanese flags in opposition to Tokyo's purchase of the islands.
Related coverage:
Radiation level of seawater off Fukushima below limits: Japan gov't
Anti-Japan sentiment grows in China over Fukushima water discharge
Japan Komeito chief puts off China visit amid protest over Fukushima water
