# @nextshark on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw5Z5o1N5CK
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/8519764-nextshark-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/d2afb9d5d9.jpg
- **Posted:** 2023-09-07T16:24:19.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NextShark (@nextshark) — https://gondola.cc/nextshark

## Caption

A government-back disinformation campaign about Japan’s release of treated radioactive water may be behind the anger in China, reports suggest.

Hamsini Hariharan, a China expert with Logically, said it is “quite evident that this is politically motivated.” The misleading information, she added, has fueled public outcry.

Among the disinformation circulating Chinese social media is a prominent claim that Japan’s decision to avoid reusing the treated water proves that it is dangerous to consume. The AFCL (Asia Fact Check Lab) said this is false as the treated water is seawater and therefore unsafe to drink in the long-term. The Advanced Liquid Processing System behind the treatment can only remove radioactive substances — not desalinate water.

The alleged misinformation has resulted in adverse consequences for Japan, and Japanese nationals living in China. As Beijing bans Japanese seafood imports — insisting they are no longer safe after the discharge — there has been mass panic buying across China.

In late August, an unidentified individual threw stones at a Japanese school in Qingdao, Shandong province; eggs were thrown at another in neighboring Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Some have also called to boycott Japanese businesses in China. Meanwhile, businesses in Japan have received abusive phone calls from Chinese numbers.

The discharge began on Aug. 24 an will continue for decades. China, for its part, maintains that its ban on Japan’s seafood is aimed at protecting the health of Chinese consumers. 

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency previously concluded that Japan has met global safety standards for the release. The agency determined that the gradual discharges would have “a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.”

In response, Japan announced on Monday a 20.7 billion yen ($141 million) emergency fund to help exporters affected by the ban. “We will protect the Japanese fisheries industry at all costs,” Kishida said in a statement.

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#news #china #japan #fukushima #radioactivewaterrelease #misinformationcampaign

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china, news, fukushima, radioactivewaterrelease, japan, misinformationcampaign

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