Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary "Deep Regret Over China's Harassment... Urges Chinese Government to Respond"

The Japanese government has once again expressed regret as thousands of protest calls from Chinese citizens have flooded Japan in objection to the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Matsuno Hirokazu Chief Cabinet Secretary

Matsuno Hirokazu, Chief Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson for the Japanese government, stated at a press conference on the morning of the same day, "There have been numerous cases of harassment, including calls presumed to originate from China regarding the (contaminated water) ocean discharge," adding, "It is very regrettable and concerning that such incidents have occurred."

He continued, "We have requested the Chinese side to respond appropriately, including urging their citizens to act calmly, while also calling for the safety of Japanese residents in China and the accurate dissemination of information about the treated water (contaminated water)."

Earlier, on the 27th, Japanese foreign media such as Kyodo News reported that since the discharge began on the 24th, about 1,000 international calls from China have been made to restaurants, businesses, and government offices in Fukushima Prefecture. Jiji Press reported that some establishments disconnected their phone lines after callers repeatedly used abusive language in Japanese or Chinese and then hung up. Additionally, anti-Japanese sentiment appears to be intensifying, with Japanese schools in China suffering damage from stones thrown by Chinese individuals.

As the damage spread, Namazu Hiroyuki of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret to the Charg? d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Japan on the 26th and urged the Chinese government to take appropriate measures.

Regarding the cancellation of Japanese tourism and product boycotts in China, Matsuno criticized, "We strongly demand that the Chinese government take appropriate measures for its citizens and provide accurate information about the treated water."

Concerning the postponement of the visit to China by Komeito Party leader Yamaguchi Natsuo due to China's backlash over the contaminated water discharge, he said, "An appropriate time will be rescheduled in the future," and added, "The government intends to assist appropriately."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.