Fukushima: Japan Requests China To Ban Its Nationals From Making Abusive Phone Calls

 

After getting a large number of threatening phone calls about the leak of polluted water from the damaged Fukushima plant, Japan complained to the Chinese authorities.

Chinese dialing codes are used by the calling numbers.

Over a thousand calls have been made to one Fukushima restaurant chain.

It comes after Tokyo reported that there are no detectable levels of radiation in the ocean near the nuclear plant.

The calls, which have been made to government agencies, schools, and even an aquarium, started after the release of contaminated water from Fukushima, according to authorities.

The callers use obscene language occasionally and speak in Chinese, Japanese, and English. They discuss how they disagree with Japan's plan to disperse the radioactive water.

The discharge has been characterized by China as a "extremely selfish and irresponsible act."

It announced an embargo on Japanese seafood imports on Thursday.

Tokyo hopes that regular radiation tests in the vicinity of the facility will soothe the worries of the surrounding nations and fishing associations.

For the next three months, the results of each test will be made public.

Over the next 30 years, more than a million tonnes of water stored at the nuclear reactor will be released.

It has been building up ever since a tsunami severely destroyed the plant in 2011.

The UN's nuclear inspector has approved the proposal, and Japan claims the water is safe, but some argue that the release should be stopped.

In order to lower levels of tritium, a radioactive hydrogen isotope that is difficult to extract from water, the water is first filtered to eliminate the majority of radioactive components.

The lowest limit of detection for tritium was found to be below 7-8 becquerels per litre in samples taken from 11 locations close to the facility, according to the Environment Ministry.

It went on to say that the water "would not have any negative effects on human health or the environment."

The delivery of water has also faced opposition in South Korea, where on Thursday demonstrators attempted to attack the Japanese embassy in the country's capital Seoul.

South Korea announced on Sunday that it had dispatched nuclear experts to Fukushima to keep an eye on the discharge procedure.