Prime Minister Kishida: ”China should revoke its ban on Japanese seafood imports”

As the first anniversary of the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean approaches, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called on China to immediately lift its ban on imports of Japanese seafood.
According to Kyodo News, on the 24th, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida exchanged opinions with local fishery cooperative association members at the Onahama Fish Market in Fukushima Prefecture, and said that China's import ban measures "have absolutely no scientific basis.
"These measures are not based on the principles of international law and are unacceptable," he said. He continued, "We strongly urge China to immediately revoke its import ban on Japanese seafood products, and we will respond to this request at all levels."
Regarding the release of treated water, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized, "We will strive to provide information both domestically and internationally in a highly transparent and easy-to-understand manner based on scientific knowledge."
They also sampled bonito and shrimp sashimi caught in nearby waters, publicizing the safety of Fukushima seafood. Prior to this, China had announced in August last year that it would release treated water from Fukushima as a response measure.
In May, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Japan-China-Korea Summit held in Seoul and demanded the lifting of the ban on imports of Japanese fishery products.
But Premier Li did not respond. Since it began releasing treated water in August last year, TEPCO has been treating a total of about 60,000 tons of treated water in the Advanced Light Processing System (ALPS) over the course of a year and diluting it with seawater.
As of the 1st of this month, 1.312 million tons of treated water remains in tanks on the nuclear plant site. The Japanese government is planning to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2051.
The release of treated water is also scheduled to be completed at the same time.