Japan started discharging treated radioactive water into the sea on August 24, 2023. Screenshot from NBC News’ Youtube Channel. Japan is facing criticism and controversy after it began discharging treated water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. There have been protests throughout the region in response to the move, and on August 24, 2023, China imposed a complete ban on importing seafood from Japan. After Japan announced the discharge in February, China condemned the move as “extremely irresponsible” and demanded that it seek authorization from neighbouring countries even though the intergovernmental organization International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s safety review found that the discharge plan was consistent with IAEA’s Safety Standards as the treated wastewater had a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment. Twitter user @MrSeanHaines collected several commentaries and political cartoons about the wastewater discharge from state-owned media sources: A lot of PRC officials, state media today upset with Fukushima nuclear plant for releasing waste water into the ocean. One thing they forget to mention China does too. 6x more. pic.twitter.com/YcCoDFs2OS — Whipling (@MrSeanHaines) August 23, 2023 In addition, falsified claims that the Japanese government bribed the IAEA with one million Euros had gone viral on Chinese social media, and many Chinese netizens are spreading the conspiracy that radioactive residue in the discharge water will damage human DNA and increase the risk of cancer. Some pointed to Fukushima’s cancer data (2012–2017) to fuel the fear, though the spike might be due to an increase in cancer screenings. Fukushima’s nuclear crisis occurred in 2011 after a tsunami hit the nuclear power plant, which caused a power cut and led to three nuclear meltdowns and hydrogen explosions. The district was contaminated by radioactive material, and about 110,000 people were evacuated. To cool down the reactors, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPC) pumped 150 tons of water daily and stored the contaminated water in 1,061 water tanks. The discharged water came from these tanks. The melted-down reactors will take 30-40 years to be fully decommissioned. Scientific data shows that the treated discharge is safe as it was processed with the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most radioactive materials. It was stored in water tanks for over a decade to allow the radioactive materials to undergo nuclear decay and then diluted with sea water with a ratio of 1:100 to reduce the level of Tritium — a radioactive material that cannot be filtered out by ALPS — before being discharged into the sea. Data also indicate that the Tritium concentration level of the Fukushima discharge water is far lower than other nuclear power plants, including those from mainland China. Yet, most mainland Chinese media outlets and influencers are ignoring the scientific data and arguing that Fukushima’s discharge was more radioactive than other nuclear power plants as it was used to cool down meltdown reactors. Dissent has been censored on all Chinese social networks. Articles that explained the safety standards of the IAEA, the ALPS water treatment system, and the rationale behind the discharge plan over other options from a scientific angle were taken offline, as shown in the Chinese Digital Times’ censorship collections. On the other hand, the Chinese government’s complete ban on Japanese seafood has received popular support. Anti-Japanese sentiment is rising in China, and many online comments describe the act as a “crime” against humanity on Chinese social media. While China’s seafood ban has hurt Japan’s fishing industry, many observers pointed out the action may also hurt its own economy. First, thousands of Japanese restaurants in mainland China will be forced to change their menus and will probably lose their customers thanks to the food ban and surging anti-Japanese sentiment. Secondly, after months of reports from state media about the “nuclear discharge catastrophe”, many mainland Chinese firmly believe that the sea is contaminated, resulting in collateral damage to the Chinese fisheries and aquaculture sector. Manya Koetse from What's on Weibo reposted clips taken from Chinese fish markets on August 24: This is a difficult time for those in China's fishmarket. Some sellers got visibly upset during e-commerce livestreams this week, repeatedly seeing comments saying their fish must be contaminated after Japan starting discharging treated Fukushima cool water into the Pacific.