Flood of Calls to Tokyo, Fukushima, and Other Areas After Contaminated Water Discharge
Yamaguchi Natsuo, leader of Komeito, the ruling coalition party in Japan, has postponed his scheduled visit to China on the 28th, Kyodo News and local public broadcaster NHK reported on the 26th.
Yamaguchi was planning to visit China for the first time in four years, carrying a letter from Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, he abruptly announced the postponement as relations between the two countries deteriorated following the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (referred to by the Japanese government as "treated water") into the ocean.
It is reported that the Chinese side conveyed to Komeito that "given the current state of Sino-Japanese relations, this is not an appropriate time."
Yamaguchi said, "I have sought and continued to coordinate the visit to China several times, so it is regrettable," adding, "I will make efforts to reschedule."
Komeito, which has traditionally emphasized relations with China, also canceled Yamaguchi’s planned visit to China last month shortly before it was to take place.
At that time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a comprehensive report stating that Japan’s plan to discharge contaminated water meets international safety standards, which reportedly deepened the conflict between the two countries and influenced the cancellation of Yamaguchi’s visit.
The Japanese government’s plan to explain the safety of the contaminated water discharge and to persuade China to lift the full ban on imports of Japanese seafood through Yamaguchi’s visit to China has inevitably fallen through.
Meanwhile, NHK reported that from the 24th, when the discharge of contaminated water began at a public facility in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, protest calls flooded in for three days.
When answered, recorded messages in various languages including Japanese, Chinese, and English played, mostly containing criticism or protests against the contaminated water discharge.
The caller ID numbers started with China’s country code "86," but Edogawa Ward stated that it could not confirm whether the calls actually originated from China.
Additionally, Kyodo News reported that calls believed to have originated from China were also confirmed to have been received at Fukushima Prefectural Office and restaurants.
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