China partially lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports

China has decided to partially lift its ban on seafood imports from Japan, a restriction that had been in place since 2023. The ban was originally put in place because China was concerned about the safety of Japanese seafood after Japan began releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. The Fukushima plant suffered a major disaster in 2011 when a tsunami caused three of its reactors to melt down, making it one of the worst nuclear accidents in history. Since then, over a million tonnes of treated water had been stored at the site. In 2023, Japan started to release this water into the sea, saying it was safe, a claim supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, some scientists still worry that there could be unknown effects on the ocean.

After Japan started releasing the water, China immediately banned all seafood imports from Japan, saying it was worried about the environment and food safety. This was a big blow to Japan, as China was its largest seafood customer, buying nearly a quarter of all Japanese seafood exports. Now, China says it will allow seafood imports from most parts of Japan again, except for 10 prefectures, including Tokyo and Fukushima. The Chinese government said that after long-term monitoring, they did not find any problems with the water from Fukushima. However, seafood from the areas closest to the nuclear plant is still not allowed.

Japan has welcomed China's decision to partially lift the ban, calling it a positive step. Japanese officials say they will keep working to prove that all their seafood is safe and hope that China will eventually allow imports from every region. Companies that want to start exporting seafood to China again will have to reapply and follow strict rules. The relationship between China and Japan has always been complicated, with both countries having disagreements over territory and history. Despite these issues, they are important trading partners and both sides are trying to improve their economic ties. The decision to allow some Japanese seafood back into China is seen as a sign that the two countries are willing to work together, even if there are still some disagreements.