China set to resume imports of Japanese seafood halted over Fukushima water discharge concern
TOKYO: China will resume Japanese seafood imports it banned in 2023 over worries about Japan's discharge of treated but slightly radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, a Japanese minister said Friday.
Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the agreement was reached after officials met in Beijing and the imports will resume once paperwork is complete.
China said talks this week made substantial progress, but did not confirm an agreement with Japan on the issue that has been a significant political and diplomatic point of tension.
Seafood is an important export item for Japan and a resumption of its export to China is a major milestone, Koizumi said.
Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya also welcomed the move, saying: It will be a big first step that would help Japan and China to tackle a number of remaining issues between the two countries.
But officials said China's ban on farm and fisheries products from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, is still in place and that they will keep pushing toward their lifting.
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