30-05-2025
China agrees to lift ban on Japanese seafood imports
China will soon resume the importation of seafood from Japan after the two countries reached an agreement that ends a ban related to the release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The deal was announced Friday.
Exports will begin once Japan completes the registration of facilities that will be involved in the export of seafood products to China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
The exports will need to be accompanied by inspection certificates for radioactive cesium and iodine, certificates of origin and sanitary certificates, he explained, while noting that these requirements were in place before the discharge of treated water from Fukushima.
'This agreement marks a major milestone,' Hayashi said at a news conference Friday morning.
He added that Japan will continue to press China to resume imports of Japanese beef and to lift restrictions on agricultural and marine products from 10 prefectures, while also urging the removal of import restrictions put into place by other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong and South Korea.
Masanobu Sakamoto, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, said in a statement issued on Friday that the agreement represents a 'significant progress.' He urged the government to work toward removing all import restrictions imposed by all countries and regions.
'At the same time, we call for the continued implementation of related measures, such as support for expanding domestic consumption and overseas exports of Japanese seafood,' the statement continued.
China prohibited the import of all Japanese seafood from August 2023 in protest of the discharge into the ocean of treated radioactive water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japan has repeatedly called for the restriction to be lifted.
In September 2023, China agreed to 'gradually resume' imports of Japanese seafood products once all safety conditions were met. This came after Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed to allow third-party inspectors — including those from China — to be involved in an expanded Fukushima wastewater monitoring program.
Exchanges between Tokyo and Beijing have become increasingly productive over the past year, with China extending the occasional olive branch. But China's increased military activity in the region keeps Japan wary.
