Japan is bracing itself for a “significant” blow to its seafood exports as Hong Kong and Macau prepare to impose a ban on aquatic product imports from ten Japanese regions, including Tokyo and Fukushima. This decision stems from concerns related to the impending release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) shared these expectations.
Japan is set to release over 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water into the sea on Thursday, more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. This move has faced sharp criticism from China, the largest importer of Japanese seafood. China has expressed its commitment to safeguarding its marine environment, food safety, and public health, already implementing import bans from certain Japanese regions.
The specific impact of these seafood bans by Hong Kong and Macau is difficult to quantify immediately but is anticipated to be “significant,” according to an MAFF official who requested anonymity in accordance with ministry policy.
Last year, China, which is not only Japan’s primary importer of seafood but also a major consumer of items like scallops and sea cucumbers, imported Japanese seafood valued at 87.1 billion yen ($600 million), equivalent to one-fifth of Japan’s total seafood exports, as per MAFF data.
Hong Kong, Japan’s second-largest seafood market after mainland China (calculated separately by the ministry), purchased 75.5 billion yen worth of Japanese seafood, according to available data. Japan’s seafood export figures also include pearl exports.
While China has strongly criticized Japan’s decision to release water from Fukushima, it has allowed nine additional Russian companies to export aquatic products. Russia shares some fishery areas with Japan in the Pacific. This move increases the total number of permitted aquatic product exporters from Russia to 894 firms, as reported by Russia’s food safety watchdog in July.
Both Russia and China have raised concerns about Japan’s water release plan. Japan, in response, has stated that feedback from these countries lacks scientific evidence and maintains that pollution levels in the water will fall below safety standards set by the World Health Organization for drinking water.
Japan’s leading fishery association has expressed concerns about potential damage to its reputation due to the water release. Japan insists that the release is safe and has been employed by other countries in the past. The government remains prepared to suspend the release if unusually high concentrations of radioactive materials are detected.
