China Bans Japanese Seafood to Cover Up Its Own Lies

China has relentlessly spread false information about the release of treated water from Fukushima despite the safety guaranteed by international experts.

The discharge of treated water into the ocean from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has begun. China, which had vocally opposed the plan and spread unscientific rumors about it, responded with a ban on Japanese products. 

China Adds Economic Coercion to its Rumormongering 

Meanwhile, for some time, China has been making scientifically false charges about the release of the treated water.

First, China labels the treated water as "radioactively contaminated water." Next, it adds that the release poses a serious threat to the safety of the marine environment. Then, it says the treated water release is a danger to the life and health of human beings. 

Furthermore, as soon as the release began, the Chinese government declared a total suspension of imports of Japanese aquatic products. Then, on August 25, it also banned the purchase and use of processed marine products from Japan.

Beijing claimed it did so "to protect the health of Chinese consumers and ensure the safety of imported food products." However, this unreasonable import ban has no scientific basis. 

Nevertheless, it is certain to inflict severe economic damage on Japan's marine products industry. It was only to be expected that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should have called for the ban to be lifted immediately.

China's Hypocrisy

Since the treated water is then greatly diluted with seawater, there is no way that it can adversely impact ecosystems. Furthermore, isn't it a fact that China itself is releasing large amounts of tritium from Chinese nuclear power plants?

Fukushima Daiichi Tritium: Dwarfed by China, Other Foreign Discharges

China's response is riddled with contradictions and reeks of hypocrisy. Yet it is of concern because it helps to spread vicious rumors with no scientific basis.