China has suspended imports of all aquatic products originating in Japan, and will closely track and assess the impact of Japan’s dumping radioactive water into the ocean, in order to safeguard its national interests and public health. The suspension took effect on August 24, when Japan started releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean, according to China's General Administration of Customs (GAC). Customs authorities are deeply concerned about the radioactive risks posed by the discharge to Japanese aquatic products being exported to China, the GAC said in a statement. In accordance with relevant Chinese laws and regulations, as well as the provisions of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Customs authorities have decided to take enhanced control measures regarding aquatic products originating in Japan, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) also put into effect their separate bans on aquatic products from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo, Fukushima and Chiba. Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao lodged a strong protest with Masataka Okano, Japan’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs. Disregarding the strong doubts and opposition from both domestic and international sources, Japan is shifting the nuclear-contamination risk to neighboring countries, including China, and the international community, Wu said. Japan is prioritizing its own interests above the long-term well-being of the people in the region and around the world. China demands an immediate halt to this “extremely selfish and irresponsible” behavior, Wu added. Ministry of Commerce Spokeswoman Shu Jueting said: “The Chinese government puts the people first. It will take all necessary measures to safeguard food safety and public health.” The National Nuclear Safety Administration said it will step up efforts to “effectively safeguard the country’s national interests and public health”.
On August 22, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave the final go-ahead to gradually release more than 1 million metric tons of radioactive water into the ocean. China's Foreign Ministry said that “since humanity began using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, there has been neither any precedent nor universally recognized standards for discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean”. Some Pacific leaders have already condemned Japan’s move. The leaders of Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and New Caledonia’s ruling party, as well as members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, met in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, for the 22nd MSG Leaders’ Summit. In Tokyo, civic groups rallied in front of the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the Fukushima plant, demanding an immediate halt to the release of radioactive water into the ocean. There were also protests in Seoul, Busan and the southern island of Jeju in South Korea. The country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, has proposed a law aimed at banning imports of seafood exposed to radioactive water, which could include all fishery products from Japan, the South China Morning Post reports.
Many Chinese consumers posted on social media that they would never go to a Japanese restaurant again. Some Japanese restaurants decided to close temporarily, while others emphasized that their ingredients were not imported from Japan. One restaurant introduced an “anti-radiation meal”, but had to remove it following a flood of negative comments on social media and complaints about fake advertising, prohibited by China's Anti-Unfair Competition Law. China is the largest importer of Japanese seafood.
