Japan says China will resume Japanese seafood imports it halted over Fukushima water discharge

TOKYO, Japan — China volition resume Japanese seafood imports it banned successful 2023 implicit worries astir Japan’s discharge of somewhat radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi atomic powerfulness plant into the sea, a Japanese authoritative said Friday.

China said their talks this week made “substantial progress” but did not corroborate an statement with Japan connected the contented that has been a important governmental and diplomatic constituent of tension.

Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the statement was reached aft Japanese and Chinese officials met successful Beijing and that imports would resume erstwhile the paperwork is complete.

“Seafood is an important export point for Japan and a resumption of its export to China is simply a large milestone,” Koizumi said.

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya besides welcomed the move, saying, “It volition beryllium a large archetypal measurement that would assistance Japan and China to tackle a fig of remaining issues betwixt the 2 countries,” specified arsenic disputes implicit territory, commercialized and wartime history.

But officials said China's prohibition connected workplace and fisheries products from 10 Japanese prefectures including Fukushima is inactive successful spot and that they volition support pushing toward their lifting.

China's General Administration of Customs, successful a connection issued Friday, said the 2 sides connected Wednesday held “a caller circular of method exchanges connected the information issues of Japanese aquatic products ... and achieved important progress” but did not notation an agreement.

China blocked imports of Japanese seafood due to the fact that it said the merchandise of the treated and diluted but inactive somewhat radioactive wastewater would endanger the sportfishing manufacture and coastal communities successful eastbound China.

Japanese officials person said the wastewater volition beryllium safer than planetary standards and its biology interaction volition beryllium negligible. They accidental the wastewater indispensable beryllium released to marque country for the atomic plant’s decommissioning and to forestall accidental leaks.

Tokyo and Beijing since March held 3 rounds of talks connected the contented earlier reaching the statement connected Wednesday connected the “technical requirements” indispensable for Japanese seafood exports to China to restart, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said successful a statement. It did not accidental however agelong it whitethorn instrumentality earlier the existent resumption.

Mainland China utilized to beryllium the biggest overseas marketplace for Japanese seafood, accounting for much than one-fifth of its seafood exports, followed by Hong Kong. The prohibition became a large stroke to the fisheries industry, though the interaction connected wide commercialized was constricted due to the fact that seafood exports are a fraction of Japan’s full exports.

Japan’s authorities acceptable up an exigency alleviation money for Japanese exporters, particularly scallop growers, and has sought alternate overseas markets.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has said it volition compensate Japanese concern owners appropriately for damages from export bans.

The atomic works had meltdowns successful 3 reactors aft being heavy damaged successful the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan. Water utilized to chill the reactor cores has been accumulating ever since, and officials accidental the monolithic stockpile is hampering the cleanup of the site.

The wastewater was treated and heavy diluted with seawater to trim the radioactivity arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable earlier Japan began releasing it into the oversea successful August 2023.

Last September, then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the 2 sides reached “a definite level of communal understanding” that China would commencement moving toward easing the import prohibition and articulation the International Atomic Energy Agency’s expanded monitoring of wastewater discharges.

People wrong and extracurricular Japan protested the archetypal wastewater release. Japanese sportfishing groups said they feared it would further harm the estimation of their seafood. Groups successful China and South Korea besides raised concerns.