BEIJING – Japan’s Foreign Ministry has called on Japanese citizens travelling to or residing in China to take precautions, citing numerous protests and incidents of harassment taking place in China following the release of treated water from the country’s nuclear power plant.
Stones and eggs were thrown at some Japanese schools in China, likely in response to the release of tritium-containing treated water into the sea from the meltdown-hit Fukushima No. 1 plant in northeastern Japan, reported Jiji Press.
The Japanese embassy in Beijing on Saturday said that several individuals and groups in Japan have been receiving harassing phone calls from individuals in China.
Given the current situation, the ministry on Sunday advised Japanese people in China to avoid speaking loudly in Japanese while in public places and to maintain vigilance when visiting the embassy or Japanese schools.
The ministry also called on individuals to avoid approaching protesters and to refrain from recording videos of such activities on their smartphones.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has criticised Japan’s decision to release the treated water, contributing to a resurgence of anti-Japan sentiment in China.
In 2012, anti-Japan protests were held throughout China in response to the Japanese government’s nationalisation of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The islands were also claimed by China.
During that period, stones and plastic bottles were thrown at the Japanese embassy in Beijing, and Japanese schools were forced to temporarily close. – Bernama, August 29, 2023
