Anti-Japan sentiment grows in China, egged on by government
Beijing banned seafood from Japan immediately after the Tokyo Electric Power Company began releasing treated wastewater from its Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean. Now Japanese companies and schools are facing boycotts and harassment.
Japanโs Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi urged China on Tuesday to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens, confirming media reports that a brick was thrown at its embassy in Beijing amid an escalating row over the Fukushima wastewater release.
“We would like to urge the Chinese government again to take appropriate measures immediately, such as calling on its citizens to act calmly to prevent the situation from escalating, and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Japanese residents and our diplomatic missions in China,” Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo.
He also called on China to “provide accurate information” about the discharge “rather than unnecessarily raising people’s concerns by providing information without any scientific basis.”
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wฤng Wรฉnbฤซn ๆฑชๆๆ said yesterday that Beijing “protects the safety” of foreigners in China, dismissing the “so-called concerns of the Japanese side.”
“Ignoring the strong doubts and opposition of the international community, the Japanese government unilaterally and forcibly started the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear accident, which aroused strong indignation among people of all countries,” Wang noted.
Anti-Japanese sentiment has been high in China since Tokyo began releasing treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, prompting Beijing to introduce an immediate ban on Japanese seafood imports.
Since then, Japan has advised its nationals residing in China to maintain a low profile and not speak Japanese loudly in public while also enhancing security measures around schools and diplomatic missions in the country.
A variety of businesses in Japan, from restaurants to an aquarium, have reportedly been subjected to thousands of harassment calls that have included abusive and racist language. Meanwhile, eggs and stones have also reportedly been thrown at Japanese schools in China.
A slew of Japanese brands have found themselves under greater scrutiny from Chinese shoppers, who have been pressuring the companies to disclose their production processes, especially the use of water in manufacturing.
In the past week, Chinese social media sites have been awash with confessions from people who had returned Japanese beauty products they previously purchased, either due to safety worries or as a patriotic gesture. Some even declared boycotts of all types of Japanese products, citing frustrations at its governmentโs โirresponsibleโ behavior.
