China resumes qualified seafood imports from some Japan regions
China is resuming seafood products imported from several Japanese regions. PHOTO: REUTERS
China on June 29 announced it is immediately resuming seafood products imported from some Japanese regions, ending a nearly two-year overall ban imposed due to worries over Japan's release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
In a notice on J une 29 , China Customs said seafood products from 10 prefectures - Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano, Saitama, Tokyo and Chiba - will still be banned from entering the country.
Products from other regions will need health certificates, radioactive substance detection qualification certificates and production area certificates issued by the Japanese government for Chinese customs declarations, the notice said.
Chinese customs authorities said the decision on June 29 was made after no abnormality was detected following long-term international and independent Chinese sampling and monitoring of discharged wastewater.
China banned all imports of Japanese seafood in August 2023, shortly after Tokyo began releasing the treated Fukushima wastewater, prompting a diplomatic and economic backlash.
The notice on June 29 said China will strictly supervise Japanese seafood imports and will take measures if it finds any violations of relevant Chinese laws, regulations and food safety standards. REUTERS
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