China says its diplomatic missions in Japan being harassed

China on Thursday claimed that its embassy and consulates in Japan are receiving harassing phone calls and urged Tokyo to ensure the safety of their diplomatic missions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing always protected the safety of foreign embassies and consulates in the country.

“Chinese embassies and consulates in Japan have recently been receiving a large number of harassing phone calls from Japan, which has severely disrupted the normal operations of these agencies,” state-run Global Times quoted Mao as saying.

She added that Beijing always protected the legitimate rights and interests of foreign citizens in China in accordance with the law.

“The Chinese side urges the Japanese side to earnestly safeguard the safety of Chinese embassies, consulates, enterprises, citizens and tourists in Japan, guiding public opinion correctly and refraining from trying to divert the focus and cover up Japan's wrong behavior of dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the sea,” Mao added.

Tokyo began releasing the nuclear waste on Aug. 24, triggering a sharp reaction from China and opposition parties in South Korea.

Beijing has imposed a blanket ban on imports of seafood from Japan.