Japanese Embassy in Beijing Takes to Weibo to Address Fukushima Water Discharge

A man rides his motorcycle past the entrance of the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Aug. 29, 2023. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

A smear campaign focused on Fukushima’s discharge of nuclear-treated water is being countered by the Japanese Embassy in Beijing via the Twitter-like online platform Weibo.

The embassy has been sharing scientific data via Weibo to counter Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda about the discharge of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean beginning Aug. 24.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has 1.9 million followers on its Weibo account, usually used to publish content related to cultural activities, tourist attractions, and food in Japan. But now, it has become the fastest way for Chinese people to learn what Japan has to say about the Fukushima incident.

Meanwhile, CCP propaganda has incited a boycott of Japanese seafood and ignited anti-Japanese sentiment among the public over the past several weeks.

An Aug. 30 post sent by the Japanese Embassy on Weibo was forwarded 590 times, and got 1,298 comments and 687 likes as of Sep.2. The message quoted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi’s Aug. 29 comment where he said the treated water discharged into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant does not contain any hazardous substances and that it does not affect the human body.

Several charts accompany the post, indicating that the effect of  Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water on the human body is about 1 in 70,000 to 1 in 1,000,000 of the impact of natural radiation.

The Qinshan nuclear power plant in Haiyan, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on June 2, 2010. STR/AFP via Getty Images

In addition, the comparative data showed that the annual amount of tritium contained in the treated water to be released from the plant in Fukushima is 22 trillion becquerels, about 10 times less than 218 trillion becquerels of tritium released from the Qinshan power plant in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province in 2021.

Likewise, in 2021, the Hongyanhe power plant in Liaoning Province, Ningde power plant in Fujian Province, and Yangjiang power plant in Guangdong Province, respectively, released 90, 102, and 112 trillion becquerels of tritium, all of which released more radioactive tritium into the ocean than Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.

A post on the embassy’s Weibo account on Aug. 29 published a statement by a spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) who responded to questions from Chinese official media about regulatory standards. The spokesman said releasing treated water from Japan’s ALPS is based on safety standards supported by the WHO and seven other international organizations.

This post was forwarded 605 times, got 1,837 comments, and had 593 likes as of Sept. 2.

Another post dated Aug. 26 said that to ensure the transparency of information on ALPS-treated water, Japan fully cooperated with the IAEA and emphasized that China is also one of the member states of the IAEA. This post was forwarded 2,678 times and had 6,706 comments and 1,342 likes.

Harassing Phone Calls

A Weibo post by the Japanese Embassy on Aug. 25 indicated that unrelated individuals and organizations in Japan have received harassing phone calls from China over the release of the ALPS-treated water into the ocean.

“This is criminal behavior,” said the post, which called on the  Chinese authorities to address the issue as per the law.

The post was forwarded 16,000 times by Chinese netizens, who also left 22,000 comments and 3,464 likes.

A sign reading "Suspend the sale of all fish products imported from Japan" in an area of Japanese restaurants in Beijing on Aug.  27, 2023. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

‘Nuclear Sewage’

On Aug. 22, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summoned Tarumi Hideo, Japan’s Ambassador to China, over the Fukushima discharge and accused Japan of irresponsibility in releasing “nuclear sewage.”

Mr. Tarumi said Japan was not discharging “nuclear sewage” but “ALPS-treated water,” adding that the Chinese side should instead use that term.

He also said that Japan has constantly been subjected to highly stringent assessments by the IAEA. At the same time, he said, Japan has provided honest explanations to the international community, including China, based on science and in a highly transparent manner.

Mr. Tarumi regretted that Beijing still insisted on “unscientific claims.”

Meanwhile, influenced by CCP propaganda, there has been a suspension on the import of Japanese aquatic products.

As an example of the ongoing propaganda, state-own media, The Paper, published an article on Sep. 1, that questioned the authenticity of the IAEA report’s conclusion that Japan’s treated water meets international standards and claimed that data from Japan’s nuclear power plants are not credible.