The Japanese government has asked China to immediately lift a ban on seafood imports imposed after Tokyo began discharging radioactive wastewater.
"We have lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels, demanding that Beijing immediately cancel the ban. We will also continue to request the Chinese government to send experts to discuss the impact of discharging treated wastewater into the ocean based on scientific evidence," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in Tokyo on August 24.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers the press in Tokyo on August 24. Photo: AFP
Mr. Kishida's comments came after the Chinese Customs announced the suspension of imports of all seafood products originating from Japan from August 24.
"The decision is to comprehensively prevent food safety risks caused by radioactive contamination from Fukushima nuclear waste water. We protect the health of Chinese consumers and ensure the safety of imported food," the agency said.
China previously banned food imports from 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures in July.
Analysts say the ban on Japanese seafood is more political than economic. Last year, Japan exported 87.1 billion yen ($600 million) worth of seafood, or about a fifth of its total exports to its top trading partner, China. Japan’s total exports are close to 100 trillion yen ($685 billion), so the impact of China’s ban is negligible.
China and Japan have a complicated relationship. Last week, China criticized an agreement to strengthen military and economic ties between the United States, South Korea and Japan following the first summit between the three countries.
Chinese customs data shows that the 156,000 tonnes of seafood Japan supplied to China last year accounted for less than 4% of the country’s total seafood imports of $18.8 billion. Ecuador, India and Russia are China’s largest seafood suppliers.
Japan today began discharging treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the Pacific Ocean. Beijing criticized this action as "extremely selfish and irresponsible, posing global risks and affecting future generations."
North Korea, another of Japan's neighbors, also criticized the move. "Japan must immediately stop the dangerous discharge of nuclear-contaminated water that seriously threatens the security and future of mankind," the North's foreign ministry said.
Nuclear wastewater discharge system into the sea at the Fukushima plant. Graphics: Reuters
Japan will discharge a total of 7,800 tons of water into the sea over the next 17 days, 24 hours a day starting August 24. Tokyo and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water was thoroughly treated to remove radioactive isotopes, leaving only tritium, one of two radioactive isotopes of hydrogen.
Japan has confirmed that its wastewater will be below the limit of tritium concentration in wastewater of 1,500 Bq/l (becquerel/liter), seven times lower than the WHO's recommended level of 10,000 Bq/l for drinking water. However, the assessment by the IAEA and Japan has caused much controversy among the public and experts.
Some scholars believe that wastewater containing tritium still poses many potential risks, as there has been no adequate research on the impact of tritium on the environment and food, although discharging radioactive wastewater is a common practice of factories around the world.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, Reuters )
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