Japan and China reached a deal this week to end their ongoing dispute involving wastewater from a nuclear plant.
On Friday, the two Asian nations said that a deal had been reached to resolve their disagreements over the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, as well as Beijing’s ensuing ban on Japanese seafood.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that the two countries have achieved “a certain level of mutual understanding” with China agreeing to begin easing its import ban on Japanese seafood. As part of the deal, China will also participate in enhanced monitoring of Fukushima Daiichi’s wastewater discharges under the framework of the United Nations atomic agency.
On August 24, 2023, Japan started releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima plant, where a nuclear meltdown occurred in 2011. In response, China imposed a ban on Japanese seafood imports, citing concerns that the release would threaten the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China. The move significantly impacted Japan’s seafood exports to China.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima, is seen in Japan on August 22, 2024. On Friday, Japan and China announced they had reached a deal over a dispute involving nuclear plant wastewater.
Kyodo News via AP/Kyodo News via AP
Kishida said that “naturally, our understanding is that China will steadily resume the imports of Japanese marine products,” noting that the imports will meet Chinese standards, similar to products from other countries.
Japanese officials hailed the agreement as a breakthrough, though no timeline was provided for when the next monitoring visit would occur or when the seafood ban would be lifted.
Kishida also emphasized that the safety of Japan’s water discharges has been thoroughly validated and said his government would keep pressing China to lift the ban without delay.
“How to properly handle the nuclear-contaminated water of Fukushima is both a political issue and scientific issue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press briefing on Friday. “The bilateral consensus of China and Japan lays a foundation for the international community to handle the nuclear-contaminated water scientifically, effectively and safely, and is an initial joint achievement of the international community, especially the stakeholder countries.”
Hong Kong’s government announced plans to collaborate with mainland Chinese authorities to gather more data from Japan and determine whether it could relax restrictions on Japanese imports based on scientific evidence. Since August 24, 2023, Hong Kong has banned aquatic product imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, a significant blow to Japan’s fishery exports.
Japan asserts that the discharge complies with international safety standards and is being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, with all past water monitoring data made publicly available. Tokyo has criticized China’s seafood ban as lacking scientific basis and has called for its immediate lifting.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
