Lifting Ban on Japan’s Sea Products

Prime Mnister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan and China reached an agreement which confirmed resumption of China’s import of Japan’s sea products. In advance, Kishida received an approval from International Atomic Energy Agency for enhancing monitoring of the processed water discharged from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Although it has firmly been protesting the discharge of the water, China looks like focusing on economic interest of importing Japanese sea products.

Tokyo Electric Power Company started discharging diluted processed water, which still included tritium, into the Pacific Ocean last August. Although Japanese government tried to persuade neighbor countries that the water would be safe enough with strict monitoring by IAEA, China has been skeptical about the safety of the water, calling it “contaminated water,” and blocked Japanese seafood.

 

Japan prompted China to lift the ban, stressing the products would be safe, disclosing result of monitoring of seawater offshore Fukushima. Chinese government has been demanding stricter check on the water. Japan agreed with IAEA on monitoring by third party including China to sample seawater or the processed water before discharging, and offered China to check it.

 

The agreement between Japan and China includes discharge of the processed water based on safety standard of IAEA. China can sample and analyze the processed water. In turn, China would begin to revise the measures for blocking Japan’s sea products and resume import of them which would pass the examination. Japan and China would maintain constructive dialogue based on scientific evidence.

 

It is still unclear exactly when the import will be resumed. Chinese officials insisted that the agreement would not immediately mean resumption of import, indicating gradual lifting of the ban. Kishida explained Japan position which would demand immediate abolition of the regulation.

 

While China’s opposition to discharging water has been rigorous, there were some miscalculations in Beijing. Although China expected concerted international effort against Japan’s unilateral decision of discharging processed water. However, republic of Korea, which also firmly protested Japan’s decision, changed the course to make a deal with Japan in a context of improving bilateral relationship between ROK and Japan.

 

Chinese economy still demanded Japan’s sea products, even after the discharge of the processed water. There appeared a long line in front of sushi restaurants in Beijing or Shanghai, which would offer fish or shellfish from Japan. Fishing boats approached offshore Japan to catch seafood, regardless it would be contaminated by the discharged water or not. Declining economy of China could have urged Beijing government to make a compromise on Japan’s sea products.

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