Fake news and state-backed disinformation are fuelling Chinese anger at Japan over its release of treated wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant.
In the last week, there have been reports of rocks and eggs thrown at Japanese schools in two Chinese cities, abusive phone calls to Japanese businesses and social media campaigns to boycott Japanese products including cosmetics. It has prompted Japan’s government to summon the Chinese ambassador and urge caution among its China-based citizens.
Japan began its release of more than 1m tonnes of water on 24 August. The process, which is expected to take decades, has been approved by the UN atomic watchdog and mirrors similar wastewater releases by other countries including China. However, several countries have expressed concerns or objections, with China and Hong Kong announcing bans on importing Japanese seafood.
The release of the treated water tapped into anti-Japanese sentiment in China, fuelled by government statements and state media that has loudly questioned the science behind the process, and accused Japan’s government of endangering the region.
Fake or misattributed videos have claimed sea life is turning up dead on beaches, that there have been mass protests, and that a Japanese official who drank treated water from Fukushima at a 2011 press conference had died. Some examples collated by an Australian-based China analyst, Han Yang, on X, formerly known as Twitter, included footage of a rally in South Korea reported by Chinese state media as being in Japan, and fake news about a Japanese politician apparently suggesting Chinese visitors should be made to eat shellfish from Fukushima.
News articles have also reported panic buying of salt in the belief that iodine will provide protection from radiation, and of Geiger counters to detect radiation.
A study by the UK-based data analysis firm Logically found there were high volumes of state media reports and paid advertisements in multiple languages about the risk posed by the wastewater. It found unique posts about the topic on social media, by Chinese state media, officials and influencers, peaked at more than 3,500 in July, with some garnering more than a million views each.
“China’s coordinated campaign amplifies climate change misinformation and health misinformation around wastewater release,” said Logically. “Logically identified similar coordinated campaigns with the Ohio train derailment in February 2023 where pro-China influencers cautioned its citizens not to consume ‘contaminated’ products from Ohio.”
One video produced by the People’s Daily, titled “the truth of Fukushima”, claims there is a Japanese plot to knowingly discharge water that will “change” the sea while deliberately ignoring safer options. It carries tens of thousands of comments, many highly critical of Japan. A related hashtag has been engaged with more than 180m times in the last week.
Anti-Japanese sentiment has long existed in China due to a fractious history between the two countries, but has been prevalent in recent years as Japan strengthens ties with the US and Taiwan and pushes back on Beijing’s regional expansionism and military aggression.
Logically suggested China’s retaliatory reaction to the water release could continue, with a cosmetics ban potentially following the seafood ban, and Chinese state media predictions of mass Japanese restaurant closures in China and Hong Kong. “This could possibly have broader geopolitical implications and lead to an escalation of tensions between the two countries,” it said.
After the most recent spate of hostility, the Japanese government has taken the extraordinary step of warning its citizens not to speak Japanese too loudly in China. Last week Japan’s foreign ministry summoned China’s ambassador to request that Beijing urge calm among its citizens and ensure the safety of Japanese residents and businesses.
“Regarding Alps [advanced liquid processing system] treated water, we should not unnecessarily heighten people’s anxiety by disseminating information that is not based on scientific basis, and we once again strongly urge that accurate information be disseminated,” the vice-minister Masataka Okano said.
When asked if the government would urge calm among citizens, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told foreign media that China ensured the safety of foreign nationals, but said Tokyo’s “unilateral” release of the water had caused global outrage and this was the “root cause of the current situation”.
Additional research by Tau Yang
