China resumes Japan seafood imports, but not from Fukushima
Visitors check products sold at the Lalamew seafood market near the Onahama fish port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 19, 2023. (AP file photo)
BEIJING—China partially lifted its nearly two-year ban on Japanese seafood imports over radiation fears but maintained the restriction for marine products from 10 prefectures, including Fukushima, Chinese customs officials said June 29.
Japanese exporters can now send seafood from outside those prefectures to China after completing registration procedures and providing certification confirming both radiation safety and product origin, they said.
However, China will continue to reject marine products from 10 prefectures: Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano, Saitama, Tokyo and Chiba.
China immediately imposed its blanket ban on all Japanese seafood after the Japanese government began releasing treated radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean in August 2023.
The plant site was quickly running out of space to store and treat the contaminated water that has accumulated since the 2011 triple meltdown there.
The discharged water was filtered and diluted to remove most radioactive substances. A report from the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the water-treatment and discharge project met global safety standards.
China, however, rejected the findings.
Beijing's ban had a serious economic impact on Japan's fisheries industry. Before the ban, China was Japan's largest seafood export market.
In talks between officials from the two countries in September last year, China agreed to ease the restrictions. The two sides discussed the necessary procedural details in May.
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