China does a U-turn on Japanese fish, agrees to 'gradually resume’ imports
A ban was imposed a year ago when Japan began to release Fukushima's waters. After months of negotiations, a deal was reached on monitoring, in addition to that by the IAEA (while no one can monitor the discharges of Chinese nuclear power plants). The turning point comes in the aftermath of a deadly attack against a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen, tragic proof of the danger posed by anti-Japanese nationalist propaganda.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The People's Republic of China will "gradually resume" importing fish products from Japan a little more than a year after it imposed a ban in August 2023, triggered by the release into the ocean of cooling waters from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, scene of a major accident in 2011.
From the start, Japan said that the treated waters no longer contained levels of radioactivity harmful to health as certified by the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), but Chinese government-controlled media strongly contested the claim, fuelling anti-Japanese nationalist rhetoric on Chinese social media.
In its response, Japan noted that, unlike Fukushima, China does not release to the public any data on the levels of radioactivity found in the water discharged into the sea by Chinese nuclear power plants.
After months of negotiations on such a key issue in bilateral economic relations, Chinese authorities did an about-face on the matter.
According to customs data, in fact, in 2022 – the last full year before the lockdown – China imported seafood products worth more than US$ 500 million from Japan.
“China will begin to adjust the relevant measures based on scientific evidence and gradually resume imports of Japanese aquatic products that meet the regulation requirements and standards,” a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.
The latter went to say that Japan had committed to “fulfilling its obligations under international law, doing its utmost to avoid leaving (a) negative impact on human health and the environment, and conducting continuous evaluations of the impact on the marine environment and marine ecosystems”.
At the same time, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stressed that China "resolutely opposes" Japan's discharge of Fukushima waters. "This position has not changed,” she said.
For its part, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan had “informed the Chinese side of its readiness to carry out additional monitoring of the… treated water, while the Chinese side has decided to… steadily restore imports of Japanese fishery products that meet certain standards.”
Sadly, this announcement came just the day after the death of a 10-year-old Japanese boy stabbed in Shenzhen in the latest attack against Japanese nationals in China, coincidentally on the anniversary of the incident that started Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931.
In Shenzhen, security cameras were installed today around the Japanese school the child attended following request from Japan for greater security.
Local authorities have not yet revealed the motive behind the action by the 44-year-old arrested in connection with the murder, but Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong said that attack was an "isolated incident" by an individual with a criminal record.
In Tokyo more than 50 Chinese residents gathered in the Shinjuku district last night to remember the Japanese child victim of violence in Shenzhen, laying flowers and observing a minute of silence.
“We feel deep sadness for the innocent life taken, frustration at being unable to do anything and anger,” said the organiser, a 38-year-old man who called for a memorial on social media.
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