Chinese spokesman Zhao Lijian doubles down on Fukushima nuclear tweet
- Zhao pins ‘Great Wave’ post to the top of his feed after protests from Tokyo asking for it to be removed
- Illustration takes aim at Japan’s release of contaminated water from crippled power plant
Instead of taking down the tweet, Zhao Lijian responded to protests from Tokyo by pinning it to the top of his feed.
“You asked whether I will delete the post and apologize. As you may have noticed, I’ve pinned it on top. The illustration reflects legitimate public opinion and a call for justice. It is the Japanese government that needs to revoke its wrong decision and apologize,” Zhao said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The image by a Chinese illustrator is based on Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” and shows waves turning into deformed babies and human fingers. Instead of Mount Fuji, the image depicts nuclear power plants and nuclear waste being dumped into the ocean.
Zhao posted the illustration on Monday and it was shared widely on Chinese social media sites WeChat and Weibo.
“It is extremely irresponsible of Japan to opt for sea discharge to cut expenses. It made the wrong decision first and we only protested afterwards. How come it is brazen enough to do the wrong thing, but won’t stand others’ criticism?” he said.
“The world has long been protesting its decision, but Japanese officials just keep playing dumb. Why, are they so miffed by a mere illustration? They should listen to protesters all over the world.”
Asked about the post on Tuesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he would not comment on every tweet “by someone at the press secretary level”. But he said Japan had lodged a “forceful protest” and asked for it to be deleted.
China raises ‘deep concerns’ over Japan’s plan to release Fukushima plant water into ocean
Japan said earlier this month that it planned to pour over 1 million tonnes of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, prompting criticism from neighboring China and South Korea.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and the US expressed support on Tokyo’s decision, noting that the US government said Japan had been “transparent about its decision” and “appears to have adopted an approach in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards”.
Some Chinese observers have seen the US support as a political exchange for Japan’s strategic adherence.
