China Contradicts Its Own Fake News by Fishing Off Sanriku

China has seized upon the first anniversary of the release of ALPS treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station to spread misleading claims that this is polluting Asia's seas. It offers no evidence for this damaging allegation.

In fact, the misinformation flies in the face of carefully considered official public information and reports in response to a disaster. That was the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

In August 2003, the authorities began releasing processed water from the Fukushima site after treating it through the ALPS system. The environment agency concluded that the water was clean and safe. Indeed, they found any radiation was "below the lower limit of detection for all samples."

The fisheries agency has also done numerous tests on sea creatures from the region. It found that they are healthy and fit to eat. However, this has not stopped China from implying that radiation has somehow crept into the food chain.

Such stories deserve to be challenged. Rather than providing helpful guidance on what is safe to eat, the Chinese stories form part of a concerted effort to harm Japan's economy and undermine trust in the Japanese government.

At the same time, China is also seeking to undermine the reputation of a much-respected international body. That is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Safe Seas

The scientific evidence gathered by the IAEA and other organizations has reached a clear conclusion. There is no risk to the health of humans as a result of the Fukushima discharge program.

Japan's government has pledged that monitoring of the discharged water will continue "with a high level of objectivity, transparency, and reliability." The aim of these safeguards is to prevent an adverse impact on Japan's reputation. However, little can be done to erase the smears, which are deliberately put online by Chinese agents and then repeated by unscrupulous websites and social media channels.

Within China itself, the online narrative is entirely controlled by the government. However, China is able to exploit the principle of free speech in other places to give readers the impression that its scientists have legitimate concerns. In fact, the goal of the propaganda is clear: hit out at all democratic governments and institutions that challenge the Chinese Communist Party. Some of the mud may stick.

Russia is also fond of flooding the internet with fake news. It is not surprising that agents from two autocratic states work in lockstep. Moscow imposed a ban on seafood imports from Japan in 2023, under pressure from China.

Xi Jinping has not wavered in his support for Russia's leader Vladimir Putin. The ongoing war in Ukraine has led to most democratic countries shunning Russia and imposing sanctions. Yet trade between China and Russia is increasing.

Official Complaints

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged official complaints about the seafood ban with both Russia and China. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has raised the issue at meetings of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Chinese claim that they will send "experts" to engage in a dialogue to try to find a resolution. This is disingenuous. No Chinese scientist would risk challenging the party line on any topic, especially one crucial to foreign relations.

The clash over Fukushima has also become a forum for great-power rivalry between China and the United States. America's ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel is a strident supporter of Japan's fishermen. He even appeared on camera, eating shellfish from Northeast Japan.  In addition, he has encouraged people to enjoy more scallops.

Ambassador Emanuel is well aware of China's use of disinformation. He is also a critic of what he calls China's "persistent and pernicious strategy of coercion." Mr Emanuel has even gone so far as to say that China is engaged in an "economic war" with Japan. If this is the case, it explains why the embargo on marine products has been weaponized.

Negative Consequences

China cannot expect to fight an economic war without adverse consequences. Seafood traders in Hong Kong have watched with dismay as a lucrative line of business with Japan has dried up.

Furthermore, scallops, which used to be exported from Japan to China for shelling, are now being processed in Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries.

Meanwhile, Chinese fishermen continue to operate in international fishing grounds off Japan such as near the coast of Sanriku (just north of Fukushima). However, the items the Chinese bring ashore are not deemed a health risk. Instead, they are openly on sale in Chinese shops and markets. 

Only Japan-branded goods from the same fishing grounds are banned in China. That fact shows how irrational and politically motivated the allegations about nuclear-contaminated water are.

Unfortunately, misleading stories have a habit of spreading around the world. Website users should therefore carefully consider the motivations of the authors of articles before deciding what to believe.

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Author: Duncan Bartlett, Diplomatic Correspondent

Mr Bartlett is the Diplomatic Correspondent for JAPAN Forward and a Research Associate at the SOAS China Institute. Read his other articles and essays.