'The Sea Cries'... Chinese Soccer Fans Burned the Hinomaru and Shouted Abuses at Japanese Players

Chinese soccer fans held protests against Japan's discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima during a match between Chinese and Japanese professional soccer teams.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency and other Chinese-language media on the 22nd, this incident occurred during the AFC Champions League (ACL) group stage match held on the 20th in Wuhan, China, between the Chinese professional soccer team Wuhan Three Towns and the Japanese professional soccer team Urawa Reds.

Chinese soccer fans holding a banner that reads "The Sea Cries." Screenshot from Zhibo [Photo by Yonhap News]

Chinese fans held a large banner in the stands with the phrase "The sea is crying" written in Chinese and Japanese, and they also hurled insults at the Japanese players.

On Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, a video was posted showing Chinese people outside the stadium setting fire to the Rising Sun Flag with lighters. Other Chinese nearby cheered them on.

The Central News Agency reported that these actions by the Chinese appeared to be a form of protest against Japan's discharge of contaminated water into the ocean.

It was also reported that although such behavior might violate FIFA regulations prohibiting political statements or acts inside and outside the stadium, the Japan Football Association and Urawa Reds have not shown any particular response.

The Chinese government has imposed a complete ban on imports of Japanese seafood after Japan began discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Hong Kong has also banned imports of seafood produced in 10 regions including Fukushima, Tokyo, and Nagano. The Hong Kong government stated, "If clear problems arise with seafood from other regions, additional bans will be considered."

A Chinese person burning the Japanese flag in Wuhan, where the China-Japan soccer match took place.
[Photo by Douyin]

China and Hong Kong are the first and second largest consumers of Japanese seafood. Last year, China imported seafood worth 87.1 billion yen (approximately 800 billion KRW), and Hong Kong imported seafood worth 75.5 billion yen (approximately 690 billion KRW).

Anti-Japanese sentiment within China has also intensified significantly. There have been signs of targeting all Japanese people, not just the Japanese government, such as throwing stones and eggs at Japanese schools in China and making protest calls.

As anti-Japanese sentiment escalated in China, the Japanese Embassy and consulates in China urged their nationals to exercise caution and heightened their alert status.

The Japanese Embassy in China requested, "When going out, please refrain from speaking Japanese loudly and be mindful of your behavior. If you need to visit the embassy, please pay close attention to the surroundings near the embassy."

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