Japan asks China to prevent citizens from making offensive calls over Fukushima

(Patria) - Japan has complained to the Chinese government after companies and institutions began receiving numerous offensive phone calls regarding the release of contaminated water from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the BBC reported.

The calls are coming from numbers with Chinese country codes. One restaurant chain in Fukushima received more than 1,000 calls.

This comes as Tokyo announced that the seawater around the nuclear power plant shows no detectable levels of radioactivity. The calls began after the release of contaminated water from Fukushima, authorities said, and were directed at government departments, schools, and even an aquarium.

The callers speak in Chinese, Japanese, and English, sometimes using offensive language. They express their opposition to Japan's decision to release treated nuclear water.

China has described the water release as an "extremely selfish and irresponsible act." On Thursday, it announced it would ban seafood imports from Japan.

Tokyo hopes that radiation testing of the waters near the plant will alleviate concerns from neighboring countries and fishing groups. Weekly test results will be released over the next three months.

More than a million tons of water stored at the nuclear power plant will be released over the next 30 years. It has been accumulating since 2011 when the facility was severely damaged by a tsunami.

Japan says the water is safe, and the UN's nuclear watchdog has approved the plan, but critics say the release should be stopped.

The water is filtered to remove most radioactive elements and then diluted to reduce levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. The Ministry of the Environment stated that samples from 11 locations near the plant showed tritium levels below 7-8 becquerels per liter, which is the lower limit of detection.

The water "would not have a harmful impact on human health and the environment," it added.

There has also been opposition to the water release in South Korea, and on Thursday, protesters in the capital Seoul attempted to storm the Japanese embassy.

South Korea announced on Sunday that it had sent nuclear experts to Fukushima to monitor the water release process.