Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Japan aims for resolution of seafood ban

- EILEEN NG

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Japan hopes to resolve China’s ban on its seafood following the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant within the World Trade Organizati­on’s scope, Agricultur­e Minister Ichiro Miyashita said Wednesday.

Despite repeated assurances, China banned seafood from Japan immediatel­y after the plant began its release of treated radioactiv­e wastewater in August. Seafood accounts for a small portion of Japan’s overall trade, but the ban has hit exporters hard as China was the top destinatio­n for Japanese seafood exports.

The Japanese government approved a $141 million emergency fund in September to help seafood exporters find new markets and to fund government purchases of seafood for temporary freezing and storage. The country is also stepping up efforts to ease safety concerns as a second round of wastewater discharge is set to begin today.

Miyashita said Japan’s vigorous monitoring since the discharge showed negligible impact on its seafood and agricultur­al products. All seawater and fish sampling data since the release have been well below set safety limits, he said.

“We are undecided whether to file a complaint [about China’s export ban] to the WTO immediatel­y. At any rate, we hope to find a resolution within the WTO framework,” he told reporters after attending a fair to promote Japanese scallops at a shopping mall.

Russia is also reportedly considerin­g restrictin­g seafood export from Japan — a decision that Miyashita said will depend on the result of sampling and monitoring data. He said Japan is prepared to provide the informatio­n to Russia to counter concerns over seafood safety.

The first nuclear wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. Japan will begin its second round today to release another 8,600 tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days. The discharge, which is expected to continue for decades, has been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighborin­g countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people staged protest rallies.

Miyashita arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday for a meeting with Southeast Asian agricultur­e ministers.

Malaysia has no plans to restrict Japanese fishery import, said Malaysian Agricultur­e Minister Mohamad Sabu.

He said Malaysia conducts strict testing and so far has found no radioactiv­e element on fish imported from Japan. “So fish from Japan is safe, please eat,” he said after his meeting with Miyashita.

Although Japanese seafood imports to Malaysia dipped in August, Miyashita said sale of certain products like yellowtail fish and frozen scallops rose during the month. To ease concerns over the safety of seafood, he said Japan will hold food fairs overseas to promote the safety of its seafood and bolster export.

“I hope that many people will learn about the deliciousn­ess of Japanese marine products and this will lead to an increase in exports,” Miyashita added.

Japanese officials have said they plan to cultivate new export destinatio­ns in Taiwan, the United States, Europe, the Middle East and some Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia and Singapore.

 ?? (AP/Eileen Ng) ?? Japanese Agricultur­e Minister Ichiro Miyashita and Malaysian celebrity Amber Chia attend an event at Japanese store Don Don Donki in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday to promote the safety of Japanese scallops.
(AP/Eileen Ng) Japanese Agricultur­e Minister Ichiro Miyashita and Malaysian celebrity Amber Chia attend an event at Japanese store Don Don Donki in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday to promote the safety of Japanese scallops.

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