Tokyo, 28 August, /AJMEDIA/
Japan on Monday conveyed concern to China over the harassment of Japanese people following the start of the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant last week.
Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao and said it is “extremely regrettable and concerning” that nuisance phone calls believed to originate from China have been made, according to the Foreign Ministry.
In China, anti-Japan sentiment has been growing since the water discharge from the crippled nuclear complex into the sea began on Thursday. There have been reports of nuisance phone calls believed to originate from China and online appeals to boycott Japanese products.
Noting Tokyo is aware that many Chinese consumers have avoided buying Japanese products as well as cancelled their trips to the neighboring country, Matsuno said the government will ask Beijing to call on its nationals to take “calm actions.”
But Matsuno, the government’s top spokesman, added that the Japanese economy is unlikely to be affected by the boycott campaign. He also pledged to implement all possible measures to ensure the safety of Japanese individuals staying in China.
Japan says that 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.
China, however, has labeled it “nuclear-contaminated water” and reacted harshly to the discharge by banning all imports of seafood products from Japan.
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.
