Japan, China agree on gradual resumption of seafood trade

Japan and China have agreed to gradually resume seafood trade on the grounds that third-party countries will monitor the discharge of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.

The two neighbours found common ground as Kishida and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi agreed to strengthen monitoring of the water release, prompting Beijing to begin arrangements for lifting its ban on Japanese seafood imports. The ban has been in place since August 2023, when the discharge began.

“We conveyed to China that we are ready for additional monitoring on ALPS-treated water. At the same time, China will make arrangements on its restrictions and work toward steadily restoring seafood imports from Japan,” Kishida told reporters.

The water is processed through an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS, to remove most contaminants, except for the relatively nontoxic tritium, before it is released into the Pacific Ocean.

Kishida also reaffirmed Japan’s steadfast stance of urging China to immediately repeal its ban on Japanese fisheries products.

The move comes at a time when China is seeking an independent sampling of water and building a long-term international monitoring structure.

The IAEA’s task force, involving experts from around a dozen countries, conducts safety reviews on the water release, with the agency pledging its support until the end of the water release, which is expected to last around 30 years.