Chinese TV host suspended after ‘inappropriate’ Japan earthquake comments go viral
- Broadcaster sidelines anchor Xiao Chenghao after he suggested disaster was punishment for Japan’s discharge of nuclear waste water
- Chinese premier extends condolences to Japanese prime minister over deadly earthquake, offers Beijing’s help

A Chinese TV host in the southern island province of Hainan has been suspended after his comments about a deadly earthquake in central Japan on New Year’s Day.
On Monday, the day the earthquake struck, Xiao Chenghao, an anchor with the regional Hainan Broadcasting Group, posted a video titled “A comeuppance arrived? A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Japan”.
“It is surprising that on the first day of 2024, such a powerful earthquake occurred in Japan,” he said in a video that went viral on Chinese social media, but has since been deleted from his personal account.
“With such a large-scale natural disaster happening on the first day of the year, I’m afraid Japan will be shrouded by gloomy clouds for all of 2024.
“Perhaps [Japan should] do some deeds less, and should not have discharged nuclear water into the sea.”
Xiao’s “inappropriate comments” prompted the company to suspend him and investigate the incident, the broadcaster said in a statement on Tuesday, without elaborating.
The presenter, who has commented regularly about current affairs on social media platform Weibo, has more than 230,000 followers.