Japan says China will resume Japanese seafood imports it halted over Fukushima water discharge
Photo: AP
TOKYO: China will resume Japanese seafood imports it banned in 2023 over worries about Japan's discharge slightly radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, a Japanese official said Friday.
China said their 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.
Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the agreement was reached after Japanese and Chinese officials met in Beijing and the imports will resume once paperwork is complete.
"Seafood is an important export item for Japan and a resumption of its export to China is a major milestone," Koizumi said.
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," such as disputes over territory, trade and wartime history.
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.
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Has Honda Done It Again? The New Honda CR-V is Finally Here.
TheFactualist
Undo
China's General Administration of Customs, in a statement issued Friday, said the two sides on Wednesday held "a new round of technical exchanges on the safety issues of Japanese aquatic products ... and achieved substantial progress" but did not mention an agreement.
How the disagreement over seafood imports began China blocked imports of Japanese seafood because it said the release of the treated and diluted but still slightly radioactive wastewater would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China.
Japanese officials have said the wastewater will be safer than international standards and its environmental impact will be negligible. They say the wastewater must be released to make room for the nuclear plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks.
Tokyo and Beijing since March held three rounds of talks on the issue before reaching the agreement on Wednesday on the "technical requirements" necessary for Japanese seafood exports to China to restart, Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It did not say how long it may take before the actual resumption.
Mainland China used to be the biggest overseas market for Japanese seafood, accounting for more than one-fifth of its seafood exports, followed by Hong Kong. The ban became a major blow to the fisheries industry, though the impact on overall trade was limited because seafood exports are a fraction of Japan's total exports.
Japan's government set up an emergency relief fund for Japanese exporters, especially scallop growers, and has sought alternative overseas markets.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has said it would compensate Japanese business owners appropriately for damages from export bans.
Why the wastewater is being treated and released into the sea The nuclear plant had meltdowns in three reactors after being heavily damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan. Water used to cool the reactor cores has been accumulating ever since, and officials say the massive stockpile is hampering the cleanup of the site.
The wastewater was treated and heavily diluted with seawater to reduce the radioactivity as much as possible before Japan began releasing it into the sea in August 2023.
Last September, then-Prime Minster Fumio Kishida said the two sides reached "a certain level of mutual understanding" that China would start working toward easing the import ban and join the International Atomic Energy Agency's expanded monitoring of wastewater discharges.
People inside and outside Japan protested the initial wastewater release. Japanese fishing groups said they feared it would further damage the reputation of their seafood. Groups in China and South Korea also raised concerns.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chenab bridge: How project team navigated through steep slopes on horses, mules
To realise the vision of travelling from "Kashmir to Kanyakumari" by rail, the project team behind the construction of Chenab bridge faced several challenges. Among them was how to reach the location surrounded by the steep slopes of the Himalayas. The team had only one option -- horses and mules. According to Afcons Infrastructure Limited , the top infrastructure company that constructed the bridge, one of the main and earliest challenges was access to the bridge location, to transport equipment and construction materials. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Killer New Honda CR-V Is Utter Perfection (Take A Look) SneakerToast Undo "Initially, mules and horses were used by the project team to reach the location. Slowly over a period, temporary roads were created and access was made available to the site," a spokesperson from the company said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the iconic Chenab Bridge, Anji Rail Bridge and Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and flagged off Vande Bharat trains, connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Live Events The spokesperson added that eventually on the North side of the river bank, an 11-km road was constructed and a 12-km long road on the South side. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Vice Chairman, Afcons, said the Chenab Railway Bridge is more than just a marvel of engineering. "It is a symbol of India's resolve to conquer the most formidable challenges with ingenuity and courage," Subramanian told PTI. The company used the world's tallest crossbar cable cranes and specialised heavy machinery as tools for this ambitious project. "The ancient and steep slopes of the Himalayas were tamed using massive consolidation grouting, making them sturdy for the colossal arch foundations," the company said, highlighting challenges it faced. "With the foundations set, the erection of the arch from both sides was planned by cantilever construction technique. The first big moment of triumph came on April 5, 2021, when a single majestic arch approaching steadily from both banks met at the crown," it added. "The viaduct construction was another unique challenge. There were multiple transition areas. Keeping this in mind, the launching sequence was meticulously planned in four sections," the spokesperson. Giridhar Rajagopalan, Deputy Managing Director, Afcons told PTI that for the first time in Indian Railways , incremental launching was done on transition curve and a longitudinal gradient, both occurring at same location, for the deck launching of the viaduct portion of the Chenab Bridge. S Paramasivan, Managing Director, Afcons, "For Afcons, it represents our unwavering commitment to nation-building and our ability to reimagine infrastructure in the toughest terrains. This bridge will inspire generations of engineers and stands as a tribute to the power of Indian engineering and teamwork." For the first time in the Indian Railways' history, a laboratory accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration (NABL) was set up to ensure that quality was being monitored at every stage of the project. Situated at a height of 359 metres above the river, the Chenab bridge is 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris and the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab river. After inaugurating the Chenab bridge, the prime minister walked on it holding the Tricolour high. He travelled in a rail engine coach to reach the spot.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Ange Postecoglou Sacked: Tottenham Hotspur make surprise move, remove manager despite first major trophy in 17 years
Ange Postecoglou (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on Friday announced the dismissal of their manager Ange Postecoglou, shortly after the Australian guided the side to their first trophy in 17 years through the Europa League triumph. The victory over Manchester United with a 1-0 scoreline in Bilbao marked Tottenham's first European success in 41 years, additionally securing them a Champions League spot for the upcoming season. However, the club's dismal domestic performance, their worst since the 1976-77 relegation season, resulted in Postecoglou's departure. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties," according to a statement posted on Tottenham's official X account. The Australian's tenure ended precisely two years after his appointment from Celtic, with chairman Daniel Levy making the final decision. The club's Premier League campaign concluded with 22 defeats from 38 matches, placing them 17th, just above Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton, who faced relegation. "The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the club for a change to take place," the statement continued. "Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph."
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
China issues rare six-month valid earth licenses to suppliers of top US automakers amid global trade tensions
China has granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three U.S. automakers, two sources familiar with the matter said, as supply chain disruptions begin to surface from Beijing's export curbs on those materials. At least some of the licenses are valid for six months, the two sources said, declining to be named because the information is not public. It was not immediately clear what quantity or items are covered by the approval or whether the move signals China is preparing to ease the rare-earths licensing process, which industry groups say is cumbersome and has created a supply bottleneck. China's decision in April to restrict exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets has tripped up the supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. China's dominance of the critical mineral industry, key to the green energy transition, is increasingly viewed as a key point of leverage for Beijing in its trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. China produces around 90% of the world's rare earths, and auto industry representatives have warned of increasing threats to production due to their dependency on it for those parts. Suppliers of three big U.S. automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis got clearance for some rare earth export licenses on Monday, one of the two sources said. GM and Ford each declined to comment. Stellantis said it is working with suppliers "to ensure an efficient licensing process" and that so far the company has been able to "address immediate production concerns without major disruptions." China's Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. China's critical-mineral export controls have become a focus on Trump's criticism of Beijing, which he says has violated the truce reached last month to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions. On Thursday, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a lengthy phone call to iron out trade differences. Trump said in social-media post that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." Both sides said teams will meet again soon. U.S. auto companies are already feeling the impact of the restrictions. Ford shut down production of its Explorer SUV at its Chicago plant for a week in May because of a rare-earth shortage, the company said. The approval for the auto suppliers follows a green light granted to a U.S. electronics firm's suppliers last week and another one issued earlier this week to suppliers of a U.S. non-auto company, the first person said, declining to name the companies. "We have to give the Chinese the benefit of the doubt that they're working through this. It's up to them to show that they are not weaponizing it," said the person. Reuters reported on Wednesday that China has introduced a tracking system for its rare earth magnet sector in a move to improve its control over the sector and crackdown on smuggling.
