Businesses in Japan get thousands of angry phone calls from China
Listen to the story (Canadian accent)
Last Thursday, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the company in charge of the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima, began releasing water from the power plant into the ocean.
Since then, there have been thousands of telephone calls from China to Japanese businesses. The calls made it hard for these businesses to work normally.
The abusive calls are from Chinese people who are upset about the situation. They don’t want the water from the nuclear power plant dumped into the ocean.
Japan says the water has been treated and is safe. The United Nations' nuclear agency also says it’s safe.
However, China says the water release is bad for the environment and people's health. Because of this, China has banned all seafood from Japan.
On Sunday, the Japanese government shared new information that shows that radioactivity in the ocean near Fukushima is still safe. Some scientists say that China's own nuclear plants release water with more tritium than the water from Fukushima, but the levels are safe.
In Fukushima city, businesses got around 1,000 calls from China in one day. Some businesses had to unplug their phones to handle the situation. The city hall, schools, restaurants, and hotels all got similar phone calls.
On Chinese social media, people shared videos of them calling Japanese numbers, including restaurants in Fukushima.
The Fukushima nuclear plant will be releasing more than 500 swimming pools' of water. This water cooled the damaged parts of the plant after an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The water has been cleaned of most radioactivity, except for tritium.
Vocabulary27 words
- In charge
- To be responsible for or in control of something
- Damaged
- broken or not working correctly; bad condition
- Nuclear power plant
- a facility that generates electricity through the use of nuclear reactions
- Release
- To let go or set free; to let out into the world
- Telephone call
- a conversation between two people using a telephone
- Abusive
- treating someone badly or cruelly; using rude and offensive words; bad or wrong use of something; bad treatment of someone
- Upset
- Feeling sad, angry, or disappointed about something
- Situation
- condition; circumstance; state of affairs; the way it is; event; occurrence
- Dump
- to throw something away; get rid of;
- Treated
- made safe or healthy
- Agency
- an organization, company, or department that provides a service; bureau
- Environment
- the natural world; the place we live; the area around us; nature; Earth
- Banned
- not allowed; stopped; forbidden; prohibited;
- Seafood
- food that comes from the sea, such as fish, shrimp, and crab
- Government
- the group of people who have the authority to make and enforce laws and manage a country or region; the people/group that manage and operate a country
- Share
- to tell someone or people about something; to make public; to announce
- Radioactivity
- ☢️; A kind of energy that comes from certain things; the ability of some materials to give off energy
- Level
- the amount of something; How high or low something is
- Unplug
- Take something out of an electric socket; to disconnect something from an electrical outlet
- Handle
- Deal with or manage something
- City hall
- The main building where a city's leaders/government work.
- Social media
- Websites and apps that allow people to communicate and share information online (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc.)
- Including
- together with; as well as; part of a group or many; plus
- Cool
- to make cool; to make colder
- Earthquake
- a natural event where the ground shakes and moves suddenly and strongly, caused by the movement of rocks deep beneath the earth's surface
- Tsunami
- a large, powerful wave in the sea caused by an earthquake or volcano that can destroy many things
- Except
- Not including, leaving something out
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Last Thursday, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the _____ in charge of the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima, began _____ water from the power plant into the ocean.
Since then, there have _____ thousands of telephone calls from China to Japanese businesses. The _____ made it hard for these businesses to work normally.
The _____ calls are from Chinese people who are upset about _____ situation. They don’t want the water from the nuclear power plant _____ into the ocean.
Japan says the water has been _____ and is safe. The United Nations' nuclear agency also says it’s _____.
However, China says the water release is _____ for the environment and people's health. Because of _____, China has banned all seafood from Japan.
On Sunday, the _____ government shared new information that shows that radioactivity in the ocean near Fukushima is _____ safe. Some scientists say that China's own nuclear plants release _____ with more tritium than the water from Fukushima, but the _____ are safe.
In Fukushima city, _____ got around 1,000 calls from China in one day. Some businesses had to unplug their _____ to handle the situation. The city hall, schools, restaurants, and hotels all got _____ phone calls.
On Chinese social media, people _____ videos of them calling Japanese numbers, including _____ in Fukushima.
The Fukushima nuclear plant will be _____ more than 500 swimming pools' of water. This water cooled the _____ parts of the plant after an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The water has been cleaned of _____ radioactivity, except for tritium.
Discussion questions
- What do you think about the decision to release water from the nuclear plant into the ocean? Do you think it's a good idea or a bad idea? Why?
- How do you feel about the phone calls from China to Japanese businesses? Why do you think people are making these calls?
- How do you think social media can impact situations like this? Do you think sharing videos of phone calls is a helpful way to express opinions? Why or why not?
- Would you eat seafood from the area the water is dumped in?
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