Chinese Government Defends Ban on Japanese Seafood Imports

The Chinese government has clarified that it will not ease import restrictions on Japanese seafood.

During a regular briefing on the 23rd, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to a related question from Japanese media, “It is completely justified, reasonable, and necessary for China and other countries to take some corresponding preventive and responsive measures to protect food safety and public health against the release of Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.”

Mao Ning continued, “Japan should responsibly handle the nuclear-contaminated water,” emphasizing that “a comprehensive, independent, and effective long-term international monitoring plan must be established with the substantial participation of neighboring countries and stakeholders to prevent irreversible consequences caused by the release into the sea.”

Since Japan began releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea on August 24th of last year, the Chinese government has completely halted the import of Japanese seafood.

The Japanese government has consistently requested that China lift the import ban, but China maintains that the priority is to consider the risks of releasing contaminated water.