Fukushima wastewater make Japanese restaurants change their names

Published: Fall 2023

Author: Zhong Huiwei

Many Japanese restaurants in Wenzhou Ouhai District changed their names to: Asian Fusion Restaurant, Family Creative Cuisine and Chinese Sushi. 

Since August 24 this year, Japan's Fukushima nuclear wastewater has been officially discharged into the ocean. Japanese restaurants in Wenzhou saw a surge in business at the end of August, because people were afraid that they won't be able to eat seafood anymore, but then continued to see a slump in business from September.

Before these Japanese restaurants changed names, they were named National Japanese Cuisine and Sakura Japanese Style Cuisine Restaurant. All these names contained Japanese characters.

The name of a Japanese restaurant in Chashan changes to Chinese Cuisine this year, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (Zhong Huiwei).2023/12/10

Hongjian, the manager of the Asian Fusion Restaurant of MixC in Ouhai District said there was a dramatic decline of customers since the end of August. “When some people pass by our store, they said to their friends, 'How dare you want to eat Japanese food? Don't you know about the nuclear wastewater in Japan?'. That's why we changed the name to Asian Fusion Restaurant immediately to avoid controversy.”

A Japanese restaurant in Ouhai MixC changes its name from National Japanese Cuisine to Asian Fusion Restaurant, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. (Zhong Huiwei).2023/12/10

Hongjian’s Restaurant is not the only one. Other Japanese restaurants in Wenzhou have responded to the storm by not only changing their names, but also adding non-Japanese dishes to reduce the Japanese element in their stores.

Zhengxi, the proprietress of another Japanese Restaurant named Family Creative Cuisine in Chashan said that they have added some beef hotpot to their menus.

“None of our food comes from Japan, but the dishes are prepared in a Japanese way,” Zhengxi said, “Almost all the ingredients used in mid - and low-end Japanese restaurants in China are not from Japan. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced, with some of the seafood are imported from European countries such as Norway.”

The chef is making sushi with salmon from Shanghai, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (Zhong Huiwei).2023/12/10

Customers have irrational fear of Japanese restaurant. As long as seeing a restaurant with a Japanese name, they will choose to avoid. One reason is the fear that the food is Japanese, the other is the fear that seafood in all seas around the world will be contaminated as a result.

Japanese restaurants in Wenzhou have tackled this international controversy in various ingenious ways. As fewer and fewer people pay attention to the wastewater from Fukushima, business is gradually returning to normal.