Koizumi urges South Korea to lift import ban on Japanese seafood
SEOUL--Fisheries minister Shinjiro Koizumi called on South Korea to lift import restrictions on Japanese seafood products that were imposed following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
He made the call during an Aug. 11 meeting here with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
Seoul slapped curbs on imports over fears fish caught in the Pacific could be contaminated with radiation due to the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
After the meeting, Koizumi told reporters that trust in the safety of Japanese food products has revived. He expressed strong hopes for swift progress in dialogue between the two countries toward removing the restrictions.
'If we proceed based on sound science, mutual understanding can certainly be achieved,' he said.
Import controls remain in effect for marine products from eight prefectures, including Fukushima and Miyagi.
While Koizumi did not disclose South Korea's immediate response to his request, he emphasized the symbolic importance of Japan's fisheries minister meeting with the country's foreign minister.
'This meeting itself is a reflection of their message to promote and develop our bilateral relations,' he said.
In Seoul, the Foreign Ministry said the two ministers emphasized the importance of close communication. They also exchanged views on broader bilateral relations, including economic cooperation, officials added.
Cho stressed the need for more active dialogue at all levels to build stronger and more mature bilateral ties, especially as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.
Koizumi was in South Korea to attend an APEC ministerial meeting on food security, as well as a trilateral agriculture ministers' meeting with China and South Korea.
(This article was written by Akihiko Kaise in Incheon and Daisuke Shimizu in Seoul.)
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