diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/replicator_plan.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/replicator_plan.go
index bf282e663c2..17cbe3d6d99 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/replicator_plan.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/replicator_plan.go
@@ -386,6 +386,7 @@ func (tp *TablePlan) applyChange(rowChange *binlogdatapb.RowChange, executor fun
 			var newVal *sqltypes.Value
 			var err error
 			if field.Type == querypb.Type_JSON {
+				//log.Errorf("DEBUG: JSON field %v, value: %v", field.Name, vals[i].RawStr())
 				switch {
 				case vals[i].IsNull(): // An SQL NULL and not an actual JSON value
 					newVal = &sqltypes.NULL
@@ -394,6 +395,12 @@ func (tp *TablePlan) applyChange(rowChange *binlogdatapb.RowChange, executor fun
 					// as JSON_INSERT().
 					// This occurs e.g. when using partial JSON values as a result of
 					// mysqld using binlog-row-value-options=PARTIAL_JSON.
+					if len(vals[i].Raw()) == 0 {
+						// When using BOTH binlog_row_image=NOBLOB AND
+						// binlog_row_value_options=PARTIAL_JSON then the JSON column
+						// has the data bit set and the diff is empty.
+						setBit(rowChange.DataColumns.Cols, i, false)
+					}
 					s := fmt.Sprintf(vals[i].RawStr(), field.Name)
 					newVal = ptr.Of(sqltypes.MakeTrusted(querypb.Type_EXPRESSION, []byte(s)))
 				default: // A JSON value (which may be a JSON null literal value)
@@ -437,6 +444,7 @@ func (tp *TablePlan) applyChange(rowChange *binlogdatapb.RowChange, executor fun
 	case before && after:
 		if !tp.pkChanged(bindvars) && !tp.HasExtraSourcePkColumns {
 			if tp.isPartial(rowChange) {
+				//log.Errorf("DEBUG: building partial update query using DataColumns: %08b", rowChange.DataColumns.Cols)
 				upd, err := tp.getPartialUpdateQuery(rowChange.DataColumns)
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, err
@@ -452,6 +460,12 @@ func (tp *TablePlan) applyChange(rowChange *binlogdatapb.RowChange, executor fun
 				return nil, err
 			}
 		}
+		// TODO: the INSERTs done here after deleting the row with the original PK
+		// need to use the values from the BEFORE image for the columns NOT present.
+		// in the AFTER image due to being a partial image due to the source's usage
+		// of binlog-row-image=NOBLOB.
+		// For JSON columns when binlog-row-value-options=PARTIAL_JSON is used, we
+		// need to wrap the JSON diff function(s) around the BEFORE value.
 		if tp.isOutsidePKRange(bindvars, before, after, "insert") {
 			return nil, nil
 		}
@@ -593,6 +607,7 @@ func execParsedQuery(pq *sqlparser.ParsedQuery, bindvars map[string]*querypb.Bin
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	//log.Errorf("DEBUG: execParsedQuery: %s", query)
 	return executor(query)
 }
 
diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/table_plan_partial.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/table_plan_partial.go
index 85e0fd8e50f..a4e177a9f14 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/table_plan_partial.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletmanager/vreplication/table_plan_partial.go
@@ -36,6 +36,16 @@ func isBitSet(data []byte, index int) bool {
 	return data[byteIndex]&bitMask > 0
 }
 
+func setBit(data []byte, index int, value bool) {
+	byteIndex := index / 8
+	bitMask := byte(1 << (uint(index) & 0x7))
+	if value {
+		data[byteIndex] |= bitMask
+	} else {
+		data[byteIndex] &= 0xff - bitMask
+	}
+}
+
 func (tp *TablePlan) isPartial(rowChange *binlogdatapb.RowChange) bool {
 	if (tp.WorkflowConfig.ExperimentalFlags /**/ & /**/ vttablet.VReplicationExperimentalFlagAllowNoBlobBinlogRowImage) == 0 ||
 		rowChange.DataColumns == nil ||
diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go
index 568461aed3d..ac648077c19 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/vstreamer/vstreamer.go
@@ -1031,19 +1031,23 @@ func (vs *vstreamer) processRowEvent(vevents []*binlogdatapb.VEvent, plan *strea
 		}
 		if afterOK {
 			rowChange.After = sqltypes.RowToProto3(afterValues)
+			//log.Errorf("DEBUG: partial = %v", partial)
+			//log.Errorf("DEBUG: rowChange: After: %+v", rowChange.After)
 			if (vs.config.ExperimentalFlags /**/ & /**/ vttablet.VReplicationExperimentalFlagAllowNoBlobBinlogRowImage != 0) &&
-				partial {
+				(partial || row.JSONPartialValues.Count() > 0) {
 
 				rowChange.DataColumns = &binlogdatapb.RowChange_Bitmap{
 					Count: int64(rows.DataColumns.Count()),
 					Cols:  rows.DataColumns.Bits(),
 				}
+				//log.Errorf("DEBUG: rowChange: DataColumns: %08b", rowChange.DataColumns.Cols)
 			}
 			if row.JSONPartialValues.Count() > 0 {
 				rowChange.JsonPartialValues = &binlogdatapb.RowChange_Bitmap{
 					Count: int64(row.JSONPartialValues.Count()),
 					Cols:  row.JSONPartialValues.Bits(),
 				}
+				//log.Errorf("DEBUG: rowChange: JSONPartialColumns: %08b", rowChange.JsonPartialValues.Cols)
 			}
 		}
 		rowChanges = append(rowChanges, rowChange)