Japan asks S Korea to lift ban on Japanese seafood imports
Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, held talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Seoul ahead of a possible visit to Japan by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung later this month.
It is unusual for a Japanese farm minister to meet with another country's foreign minister. The talks took place after Koizumi attended a trilateral agriculture ministers' meeting in Incheon with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts earlier in the day.
"I have high expectations that relevant ministries will foster smooth communication toward the swift removal of the ban," Koizumi told reporters after the meeting. He declined to say how Cho responded.
South Korea banned imports of Japanese seafood from Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba prefectures after the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
Seoul also requires eight other Japanese prefectures to provide certificates of radiation inspection.
"Trust in Japanese foods has been fully restored," Koizumi said.
The Japanese and South Korean governments are arranging a visit by the South Korean president for talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, according to diplomatic sources.
In June, China lifted its ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed in August 2023 when Japan began releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, although some restrictions remain.
© KYODO
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
a minute ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Warships Visit New Zealand's Capital for the First Time in a Half-Century
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Japanese warships docked in New Zealand 's capital Friday for the first time in more than 50 years amid efforts by Tokyo to deepen its strategic ties in the South Pacific Ocean. Two destroyers with more than 500 crew on board sailed into Wellington harbor accompanied by the New Zealand navy ship HMNZS Canterbury. The JS Ise and destroyer JS Suzunami were on an Indo-Pacific deployment and arrived from Sydney, where Japan's military took part this month in war games involving New Zealand, Australia and other countries. The Wellington visit was a ceremonial one, but it came as Japan, whose only treaty ally is the United States, has increasingly sought to deepen bilateral military cooperation amid ongoing regional tensions. 'Our defense force are developing cooperative work, not only with New Zealand and Australia but also many Pacific Island countries,' Japan's envoy to Wellington, Makoto Osawa, told reporters Friday. 'Our main goal is the free and open Indo-Pacific.' The ambassador's remarks followed the announcement Tuesday by Australia's government that Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had won the bid for a contract to build Australian warships, beating out a German firm. While officials in Canberra said the Japanese proposal was the best and cheapest, they also hailed it as the biggest defense industry agreement between the countries. New Zealand too has sought to shore up its strategic and military relations in Asia as part of a foreign policy reset in recent years that the government says has turned more attention on Pacific cooperation and security. Officials in Wellington announced in July that work had started on a defense logistics agreement with Japan, intended to make it easier for the countries' militaries to work together. Japanese naval vessels do not often make visits so far south in the Pacific Ocean, but the rich and strategically important waters of New Zealand, Australia and smaller Pacific Island countries are increasingly contested by the world's major powers, making it the site of a fierce battle for influence between Beijing and Western nations. Although remote, New Zealand has recently been drawn into more fraught questions of regional security. In February, live firing exercises by Chinese naval frigates in the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia drew alarm from those countries' governments after flights were forced to divert at short notice. The last port visit to Wellington by a Japanese naval vessel was in 1973, New Zealand's military said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
a minute ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
South Korean Court Orders Arrest of Wife of Jailed Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate. In granting a special prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant near midnight, the Seoul Central District Court said Kim Keon Hee poses a risk of destroying evidence. The investigation into Kim is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul's new liberal government targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December. While Yoon's self-inflicted downfall extended a decades-long run of South Korean presidencies ending badly, he and Kim are the first presidential couple to be simultaneously arrested over criminal allegations. Yoon's surprising yet poorly planned power grab on Dec. 3 came amid a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, who he described as 'anti-state' forces abusing their legislative majority to block his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether Yoon's actions were at least partly motivated by growing allegations against his wife, which hurt his approval ratings and gave political ammunition to his rivals. Kim did not speak to reporters as she arrived at the Seoul court Tuesday for an hours-long hearing on the warrant request. She will be held at a detention center in southern Seoul, separate from the facility holding Yoon. The investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, who was appointed in June by new liberal President Lee Jae Myung, questioned Kim for about seven hours on Wednesday last week before deciding to seek her arrest. Kim spoke briefly to reporters as she appeared for last week's questioning, issuing a vague apology for causing public concern but also hinting that she would deny the allegations against her, portraying herself as 'someone insignificant.' Investigators suspect that Kim and Yoon exerted undue influence on the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election, allegedly at the request of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung faces accusations of conducting free opinion surveys for Yoon using manipulated data that possibly helped him win the party's presidential primaries before his election as president. Kim is separately linked to multiple corruption allegations, including claims that she received luxury gifts via a fortuneteller acting as an intermediary for a Unification Church official seeking business favors, and possible involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme tied to a local BMW dealership company. Min's investigation team arrested one of Kim's close associates earlier Tuesday following his arrival from Vietnam, as they look into suspicions that he used his connection to the former first lady to secure millions of dollars in business investments for his financially struggling company. The investigators also raided a construction company on Monday over allegations that its chairman purchased a luxury necklace reportedly worth $43,000, which they believe was the same one Kim wore while accompanying Yoon on a 2022 trip to Europe. Investigators suspect that the necklace was possibly linked to the chairman's son-in-law's hiring as the chief of staff of then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Yoon's No. 2, shortly before the presidential trip. Kim has reportedly denied the accusations, claiming that the necklace she wore in Europe was not an authentic piece but a borrowed fake. While in office, Yoon repeatedly dismissed calls to investigate his wife, denouncing them as baseless political attacks. Yoon's martial law decree lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and voted to revoke the measure. He was impeached by lawmakers on Dec. 14 and was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April. Yoon, who was sent back to prison last month following a March release and faces a high-stakes trial on rebellion and other charges, has repeatedly resisted investigators' attempts to compel him to answer questions about his wife.
Yomiuri Shimbun
a minute ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Crypto Mogul Do Kwon, Known as ‘the Cryptocurrency King,' Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges
NEW YORK (AP) — South Korean cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two fraud charges arising from the $40 billion collapse of a cryptocurrency ecosystem that had promised investors their money was safe. Kwon, 33, dubbed by some as 'the cryptocurrency king,' entered the plea in Manhattan federal court. According to a plea agreement signed by Kwon and prosecutors, the government said it will not seek a prison term of more than 12 years as long as Kwon complies with the deal's terms, even though federal sentencing guidelines would have recommended a prison term of about 25 years. Sentencing is set for Dec. 11. Authorities said investors worldwide lost money in the Singapore crypto firm Terraform Labs' $40 billion cryptocurrency crash. Kwon co-founded the company in 2018. The May 2022 collapse came after the company claimed that TerraUSD was a reliable 'stablecoin.' TerraUSD was designed as a 'stablecoin,' a currency that is pegged to stable assets such as the dollar to prevent drastic fluctuations in prices. However, around $40 billion in market value was erased for the holders of TerraUSD and its floating sister currency, Luna, after the stablecoin plunged far below its $1 peg. Kwon was extradited to the United States on Dec. 31 from Montenegro after his March 23, 2023, arrest while traveling on a false passport in Europe. As part of his plea to one count of conspiring to commit commodities fraud, securities fraud and wire fraud and a second count of wire fraud, Kwon also agreed to forfeit over $19 million, an amount that authorities said reflected ill-gotten proceeds. He'll also lose his interest in Terraform and its cryptocurrencies. His lawyer, Sean Hecker, said the plea meant that Kwon had accepted responsibility for making false and misleading statements to investors. In a statement, the lawyer said his client 'takes responsibility for misleading the Terra community.' In a news release, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said Kwon 'used the technological promise and investment euphoria around cryptocurrency to commit one of the largest frauds in history.' He said investors around the world suffered billions of dollars in losses.
