FACT CHECK: Japan Is Not Sensationalizing Threats to Its Citizens in China | VOA News

On August 24, Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. China criticized Japan’s action as selfish and irresponsible and banned all Japanese seafood.

Since then, there’s been a wave of harassment and vitriol directed at Japanese citizens in China, prompting Tokyo to summon the Chinese ambassador and demand that Japanese citizens in China be safeguarded.

On August 30, China’s state-run Global Times newspaper weighed in on the issue.

“Japan has primarily focused its efforts on sensationalizing the issue of ‘safety of Japanese individuals in China.’ … This is aimed at shifting the international spotlight away from the issue of nuclear pollution into the sea. ... This is about Japan committing a harmful act against all of humanity," the editorial stated.

That is misleading.

The release of diluted radioactive water has indeed led to acts of anti-Japanese harassment in China, including crank phone calls and stone throwing that targeted Japanese schools. Contrary to the Global Times’ claim, the safety of Japanese citizens living in China is a valid concern.