Chinese Media Losing Interest in Fukushima Treated Water Release; Sluggish Economy Provides Incentive to Stabilize Relations

By Keiichiro Azuma / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:56 JST, August 26, 2024

BEIJING — On Saturday, which marked a full year since the first release of treated water into the ocean from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Chinese local media coverage of the topic was muted, even as that country continues to ban all imports of Japanese seafood.

Around Aug. 24, 2023, the day when the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., started releasing the water, Chinese media reported on the matter daily, including its impact on China’s coastal waters, but their interest has apparently declined since then.

Chinese broadcaster CCTV on Sunday reported on protests in Japan over the release of treated water but other major media organizations gave little coverage to the event. A source close to Chinese state media said, “There is a clear trend toward not reporting the news.”

China, with its sluggish economy, likely hopes to stabilize Japan-China relations in order to attract investment. For this reason, China has been open to confidential government-to-government talks.

Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi said during his visit to Qingdao in Shandong Province earlier in August, “I sense that there is also a feeling on the Chinese side of wanting to resolve this issue soon.”

Last year, a Tsinghua University research team released a report claiming, “The nuclear contaminated water will reach China’s coastal waters in 240 days.” Chinese media widely covered the report at the time but have since ceased to mention it. It appears that the Chinese government is also concerned about the impact on domestic fishermen and wants to avoid an excessive reaction in the country.

At a seafood market in Beijing on Friday, workers were seen accepting orders for seafood unloaded in Shandong and other provinces via social media and delivering the fish to various locations. A source close to the market said, “No one would buy seafood if they were afraid of ‘contamination.’” This sentiment is shared by others in the market.