Chinese Call for Boycotts in Response to Japan's Fukushima Water Release

Chinese consumers are boycotting Japanese products in response to the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This state-supported nationalist campaign is the largest in over a decade and reflects China's efforts to mobilize consumers and punish countries it dislikes. Customers have returned Japanese goods, and some have used Geiger counters to test products for radioactivity. The Chinese government has encouraged the boycott and implemented bans on Japanese seafood. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has deemed Japan's plan safe, but this ruling has been dismissed in China. The boycott comes amid deteriorating relations between China and Japan and wider geopolitical shifts in the region.