China allegedly makes harassing phone calls to Japan, as confirmed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirozuka Matsuno, the chief government spokesman.
This alarming activity from China was announced on Monday, Aug. 28. Now, is the controversial Fukushima nuclear wastewater to blame?
China Allegedly Makes Harassment Phone Calls to Japan
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno speaks during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 12, 2023. North Korea has fired a long-range ballistic missile, the South Korean military said on July 12, days after Pyongyang threatened to down US spy planes that violated its airspace.
According to Reuters' latest report, the harassment phone calls—which are allegedly from China—began after Japan decided to release the wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
"A lot of harassment phone calls believed to be originating from China are occurring in Japan," said Matsuno.
"These developments are extremely regrettable and we are concerned," added Japan's chief government spokesperson.
Aside from random phone calls to residents, Japanese facilities located in China are reportedly receiving harassment phone calls as well.
Because of the harassing phone calls, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano had to summon Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao.
Okano also encouraged China to ensure that its residents react calmly during the tension between the two countries because of the Fukushima wastewater release.
The Japanese officials did this to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens and facilities in China.
Read Also: China Slams Japan's Fukushima Wastewater Release by Banning Tokyo's Seafood Exports
Is Fukushima Wastewater Release to Blame?
A masked protester stands in front of flags at the gates to the Hinkley Point nuclear power station to mark the first anniversary of the Fukushima disaster in Japan on March 10, 2012, near Bridgwater, England. Protestors planned to blockade the site at Hinkley, which is located on the Bristol Channel.
Since the harassment phone calls began after the Fukushima water release, many experts said that nuclear wastewater could be the main reason behind this alarming activity from China.
However, the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo claims that it is also receiving nuisance calls, which allegedly come from Japan, as reported by The Strait Times.
Because of this, it is unclear if the harassment calls received by Japanese residents and the Chinese Embassy in Japan are connected to one another.
As of writing, Japanese officials are mostly concerned about residents living in China.
Recently, the Japanese government warned nationals in China to lie low and avoid any conflict because Chinese residents are still disappointed with the Fukushima wastewater release.
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also advised Japanese residents traveling to China to leave an itinerary, as well as contact numbers with their employers, families, and friends.
If you want to learn more about the worsening tensions between Japan and China, you can click this link.
Related Article: Japan Starts Releasing Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater, Prompting China to Boycott Seafood From Tokyo
