‘Let Japanese politicians drink radioactive waste water.’ How nationalism helped a Chinese drinks firm rise – briefly

In a pointed post promoting fruit tea, Xiang Piao Piao exploited anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant

But, as with others firing up public sentiment for commercial gain, accusations of deception, unethical conduct and sensationalism followed

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Xiang Piao Piao’s Meco fruit tea was purported to be sold in a store in Japan with an anti-Japanese phrase around the cup. Photo: Weibo

Published: 1:00pm, 12 May 2024

As Beijing struggles to find the right stimulus for economic growth, a Chinese beverage company found a short-term solution – to capitalise on the Chinese public’s anger towards Japan over the discharge of nuclear waste water.

After what seemed a well-planned publicity campaign exploiting Chinese ire about waste water released from the disabled Fukushima plant, the company Xiang Piao Piao saw a brief surge in sales and stock prices a week ago.

Last week, a photo showing its Meco fruit tea in a store in Japan went viral on Chinese social media platforms. The sleeve around the cup contained both Chinese and Japanese writing and included the phrase “let Japanese politicians drink the radioactive waste water”.

The post went viral after it was carried by the firm’s official social media account, confirming the company’s official stance and drawing praise from nationalist voices on social media platforms.

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On May 4, the company posted “our staff are awesome” to the Weibo social media platform. The next day, the company’s president reportedly said on the firm’s live-streaming platform that “the employee responsible” would be rewarded with 100,000 yuan (US$13,800).

‘Let Japanese politicians drink radioactive waste water.’ How nationalism helped a Chinese drinks firm rise – briefly

In a pointed post promoting fruit tea, Xiang Piao Piao exploited anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant But, as with others firing up public sentiment for commercial gain, accusations of deception, unethical conduct and sensationalism followed

In a pointed post promoting fruit tea, Xiang Piao Piao exploited anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant

But, as with others firing up public sentiment for commercial gain, accusations of deception, unethical conduct and sensationalism followed