Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his press briefing on Monday that Japan was “selfish and irresponsible” for “discharging nuclear-contaminated water” from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.
“Selfish” to Discharge Wastewater
Similarly, in a press release last Thursday day, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that “to forcibly start the ocean discharge is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act in disregard of the global public interest.”
It asserted that the action was “spreading the risks to the rest of the world and passing an open wound onto the future generations of humanity.”
People protest against #Japan's dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into ocean in Selangor state, Malaysia #Fukushima pic.twitter.com/jww0ADRk6R
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) August 28, 2023
Additionally, it claimed that, by doing so, Japan has “turned itself into a saboteur of the ecological system and polluter of the global marine environment” and is “infringing upon people’s rights to health, development and a healthy environment, which violates Japan’s moral responsibilities and obligations under international law.”
Rising Harassment Incidents
The latest statement from Beijing follows Tokyo’s recent request to “ensure the safety of Japanese residents living in China,” after reports of phone harassment targetting Japanese businesses increased since the water discharge was commenced.
#UPDATE Japan's embassy in Beijing says it is "extremely worried" about recent harassment over Tokyo's release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 29, 2023
They have urged Beijing to "ensure the safety of these embassies and consulates in China in accordance with… pic.twitter.com/04B10Nj8mY
Several Japanese businesses, including local schools, aquariums, restaurants, and concert halls reported that they had started receiving a barrage of calls from Chinese speakers, obstructing regular operations.
Japan Playing “Victim”
Following this, state mouthpiece Global Times (GT) accused the Japanese government, in an editorial published on Monday, of:
“Employing a combination of PR stunts at home and abroad in a bid to shift attention, create antagonism and turn itself from the culprit risking the global health and environment into an innocent victim of Chinese public opinion attacks by hyping Chinese fury over the dumping.”
The incidents come despite the Japanese government reporting new data on Sunday, showing that the wastewater being released into the Pacific was well within safe limits.