Comment on “Sevenfold Increase in Tax Donations to Iwaki: ‘Let Me support Iwaki City by Eating Fish’, One After Another” [in Japanese]
On August 31, 2023, Professor Maiko Ichihara of the Graduate School of Law commented on the Asahi Shimbun article “Sevenfold Increase in Tax Donations to Iwaki: ‘Let Me Support Iwaki City by Eating Fish’, One After Another.” The article reported that tax payments to Iwaki city of Fukushima prefecture, following the discharge of treated water from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, have been extremely successful, with donations from all over Japan amounting to about seven times the normal amount. Professor Ichihara pointed out that the Chinese approach is a typical influence operations and that the Chinese government’s overbearing attitude unites Japan against China. She commented that it would be best not to overreact to such influence operations and that initiatives such as supporting Iwaki city’s fishing industry with hometown tax payments, as described in this article, would be ideal.
