2023-08-29 07:35:46
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday condemned the stone throwing that notably affected the Japanese embassy and schools in China since the start last Thursday of the discharge into the sea of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
“There have been many incidents of telephone harassment believed to originate from China and stone-throwing incidents at the Japanese embassy and schools. It must be said that these facts are regrettable,” Fumio Kishida told reporters.
He also confirmed that a brick was thrown at the Japanese Embassy in China. The latter, questioned on Tuesday by AFP on this information, confirmed that they were “generally accurate”.
“So far, there have been no demonstrations or violence (…) But there are a few people, alone, who have, in front of our door (…) done what you have just mentioned”, said an embassy spokesman said. These individuals were “arrested” by the Chinese security forces posted in front of the embassy, said the spokesperson.
The harassed embassy
Japan also summoned the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo on Monday to protest against the wave of telephone harassment from China that Japanese companies have been experiencing for several days.
Many Chinese netizens have shared the embassy’s phone number on social media in recent days, prompting their compatriots to call it to complain about the start of the water discharge from the plant.
“We would like to urge the Chinese government once again to take appropriate measures immediately, including 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 nationals.” China, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Even after the discharge (of Fukushima water) into the ocean, the United States, for example, declared itself satisfied with the highly transparent and scientifically justified process implemented by Japan. . We would like to convey these voices from the international community to the Chinese government,” said the Japanese Prime Minister.
The foreign minister also called on Beijing to “provide accurate information on the treated water” from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, “rather than causing unnecessary concern to the public by providing information that is devoid of any scientific basis. “.
“Legitimate Concerns”
China has suspended all seafood imports from Japan since last week, in response to the start of the release of water from, among other things, injections needed to cool the reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it had been devastated by the 2011 tsunami in northeast Japan. This process has been validated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Tokyo assures that it will be safe for the environment and human health.
Asked on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Beijing “always ensures the security and respect for the legitimate rights and interests of foreigners in China, in accordance with the law”.
“We urge the Japanese side to take into account the legitimate concerns of all parties, immediately stop the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea”, and to deal with the problem “responsibly”, he said. -he adds.
Thousands of calls
Since the operation began, seemingly random Japanese businesses ranging from bakeries to aquariums have started receiving thousands of calls from Chinese numbers. On social media, Chinese netizens have shared videos showing them calling Japanese numbers, with some posts receiving tens of thousands of “likes”.
Since the beginning of the rejection, “there have been a large number of phone calls and other forms of harassment” which “are suspected to have come from China”, Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister said on Monday. Masataka Okano. “A number of similar incidents are also happening in China meeting companies linked to Japan. This is extremely regrettable and we are deeply concerned,” he added, according to the statement from his ministry.
The Japanese embassy in Beijing asked its nationals on site this weekend to refrain from speaking loudly in Japanese, and announced on Monday that it had reinforced security measures in front of Japanese schools and diplomatic missions in the country. .
In total, Japan intends to evacuate more than 1.3 million m3 of “tritiated” water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean until the beginning of the 2050s, according to the current schedule.
#Fukushima #telephone #harassment #stone #throwing #Tokyo #condemns #antiJapanese #acts #attributed #China