China to resume seafood imports from Japan: Japanese official

By Anadolu staff

China has agreed to begin procedures to resume seafood imports from Japan, a Japanese official said Friday, according to local media reports.

"The two nations have agreed on 'technical requirements for the resumption of seafood exports' to China," Kyodo News Agency quoted Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi as saying.

China is also expected to issue a notice easing the blanket ban, which has been in place since 2023, it said.

China imposed a complete ban on Japanese seafood imports just after the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant began in August 2023.

The ban was enacted to protect consumer health and prevent potential contamination.

Last September, China agreed to resume seafood imports from Japan contingent on third-party nations, including itself, taking part in monitoring the discharge of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the sea.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid