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Yomiuri Shimbun
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan to Export Marine Products to China: Why Has Beijing Not Yet Fully Lifted The Import Ban?
China has finally acknowledged the safety of Japanese marine products and is likely to lift its import ban, but it must be said that the scale is limited and inadequate. If China is serious about improving relations with Japan, shouldn't it drop its scientifically groundless claims and make the decision to lift the import ban entirely? According to the Japan-China agreement, businesses in Japan must re-register with the Chinese authorities before resuming exports of Japanese marine products. In addition, the first shipment must be accompanied by a certificate of inspection for radioactive materials. Therefore, the actual resumption of exports is expected to be several months away. In 2023, when treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant began to be discharged into the ocean, China banned imports of all Japanese marine products. Last year, the Japanese and Chinese governments agreed that China would conduct a seawater monitoring survey under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The results of the survey subsequently revealed no problems with the seawater. The safety of the treated water has been investigated and confirmed by the IAEA many times. Despite this, China has continued to criticize the treated water, calling it 'nuclear contaminated water.' The fact that such critical voices did not spread internationally probably contributed to the Chinese government's decision this time around. Nevertheless, China has allowed only 37 prefectures — excluding 10, such as Fukushima and Ibaraki — to resume exports. There is no scientific basis for the move, and it is hard to understand. Pending issues between Japan and China are not limited to marine products. Last month, a helicopter belonging to a China Coast Guard vessel violated Japanese airspace around the Senkaku Islands in an attempt to interfere with the flight of a Japanese civilian aircraft. In response to the Japanese government's protest, China reportedly claimed that the civilian aircraft had violated Chinese airspace. China also removed a buoy that it had installed without permission inside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) south of Yonaguni Island. However, China asserts that both the installation and removal of the buoy were activities conducted in waters under its jurisdiction. China's claims, which are like saying the Senkakus and Japan's waters belong to itself, are unacceptable. Beijing's likely aim is to strengthen its effective control over them through establishing faits accompli. The Japanese government must not tolerate China's claims. Meanwhile, at the Asia Security Summit held in Singapore, there was many voices from countries including those from Southeast Asia expressing caution over China's hegemonic activities in the South China Sea. With the rise of China, it is becoming difficult for the United States alone to protect the security of Asia. Japan needs to make every possible effort to build a multilateral cooperative framework to safeguard regional peace and stability. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 3, 2025)
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
China Hopes to Improve Japan Ties Amid Conflict with U.S.; Resumption of Japanese Seafood Imports Seen as Attempt to Boost Ties with Neighbors
The Yomiuri Shimbun Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, second from left, speaks at a meeting to expand exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday. Japan and China agreed to begin procedures to resume exports of Japanese marine products to China. Amid Beijing's conflict with Washington, China is hoping the move will improve bilateral ties with Japan. However, the resumption of exports of Japanese marine products will only apply to 37 prefectures, excluding Tokyo and nine other prefectures. The Japanese side will continue to seek the resumption of exports from these 10 prefectures as well as China's positive responses to other bilateral issues. 'This could be a big step forward in tackling various issues between Japan and China,' Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at a press conference on Friday. China imposed a total ban on imports of Japanese marine products in response to the release of treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean. The release began in August 2023. Beijing subsequently launched a campaign criticizing the release at international conferences and other venues, saying, 'The Pacific Ocean is not a sewer for Japan's 'nuclear-contaminated water.'' Perceiving China's move as a way to undermine Japan's position in the international community, the Japanese government focused on winning the understanding of various countries, including South Korea and Pacific island nations. Japan had urged China to withdraw the embargo while spreading the view that there was no scientific evidence to support Beijing's ban. Under the latest agreement, such documents as an inspection certificate for radioactive tritium will be required for the initial exports, but the export procedures are expected to be almost the same as before August 2023. 'It took time, but we were able to achieve results without making major concessions,' a senior Foreign Ministry official said. Since U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term in January, Chinese President Xi Jinping's government has been at odds with Washington over tariffs. It is thought that China's move to resume imports of Japanese marine products is part of efforts to quickly improve ties with neighboring countries. The Chinese side hopes to attract more investments by improving ties with Japan. In 2024, direct investment in China by foreign companies declined 60% compared to the previous year, the lowest level since 1992. At the same time, China is marking this year as 'the 80th anniversary of winning the war against Japan,' inflaming people's patriotism. Some believe China worked to quickly reach an agreement with Japan because it would become more difficult for Beijing to make moves that could be seen as making concessions to Japan as the date neared Sept. 3, which marks the anniversary of China winning the war against Japan. However, some on the Chinese side have made certain remarks that raise doubts about whether the country wants to improve relations with Japan. At a press conference on Friday, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, referred to the treated water as 'nuclear-contaminated water.' As the Chinese government has criticized Japan, it is believed that China is slowly introducing measures to improve ties with Japan while considering public opinion at home. The decision not to include marine products from the 10 prefectures may be part of that effort. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Japan this year for a trilateral summit meeting between Japan, China and South Korea. Japan is to chair the summit. If realized, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's first visit to China may also be considered. However, there are still many issues between Japan and China, including ensuring the safety of Japanese residents in China and China's violation of Japanese airspace with its aircraft flying near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. Japan plans to cautiously explore ways to improve relations with China because the issue of economic security, with China in mind, is on the agenda for Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations. 'We will carefully move forward with our diplomacy with China one step at a time while comprehensively seeing how the U.S.-China conflict and the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations will unfold,' said a Japanese government official.
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
China set to resume imports of Japanese seafood halted over water discharge from Fukushima plant
Visitors check seafood sold at the seafood market "Lalamew" near the Onahama fish port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/ File) China will resume Japanese seafood imports it banned in 2023 over worries about Japan's discharge of treated but slightly radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea, a Japanese minister said Friday. Fisheries 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. China's General Administration of Customs said in a statement Friday that the two sides had 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. Disagreement over seafood imports 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 treated water will be safer than international standards and its environmental impact will be negligible. They say the water must be released to make room for the nuclear plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks. Tokyo and Beijing have held three rounds of talks since March on the issue before reaching the agreement this week 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 its exporters, especially scallop growers, and has sought alternative overseas markets. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima No. 1 plant, has said it would compensate Japanese business owners appropriately for damages from export bans. 'Mutual understanding' 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 water discharges. People inside and outside Japan protested the initial release of treated water. Japanese fishing groups said they feared it would further damage the reputation of their seafood. Groups in China and South Korea also raised concerns.
27-05-2025
- Politics
Fukushima Soil to Be Reused at Central Govt Facilities
News from Japan Politics May 27, 2025 12:29 (JST) Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government said Tuesday that it will promote the reuse of soil removed during radiation decontamination work after the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture. The government said that it will reuse the soil for flower beds within the grounds of central government agencies and in the grounds of the prime minister's office in Tokyo. Through the plan, the government hopes to promote the public reuse of the soil throughout the country. 'The central government will take the initiative in creating precedent cases,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a ministerial meeting on the disposal of soil removed during the decontamination process following the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The plan is part of broader efforts to achieve the final disposal of the soil outside the northeastern prefecture by March 2045. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
23-05-2025
- Politics
Govt Eyes Reuse of Fukushima Soil at PM's Office
News from Japan May 23, 2025 16:03 (JST) Tokyo, May 23 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is considering reusing soil removed from the ground during radiation decontamination work after the 2011 nuclear reactor meltdowns in Fukushima Prefecture in the grounds of the prime minister's office in Tokyo, informed sources have said. The government hopes to promote public understanding over the reuse of the soil from the decontamination work in the northeastern Japan prefecture, home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The move came after planned pilot projects for using the soil in Tokyo and its northern neighbor, Saitama Prefecture, have stalled due to opposition from local residents. The government plans to compile a basic policy on the recycling and final disposal of the soil shortly, including its use at the prime minister's office. It also plans to draw up a specific road map by around this summer. Some 14 million cubic meters of the soil from the decontamination work is currently stored at interim facilities in the Fukushima towns of Okuma and Futaba, where the TEPCO plant is located. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
