The tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean — a controversial step that prompted China to immediately ban seafood from Japan.
People inside and outside the country protested Thursday’s wastewater release, with Japanese fishing groups fearing it will further damage the reputation of their seafood and groups in China and South Korea raising concerns, making it a political and diplomatic issue.
In response, Chinese customs authorities banned seafood from Japan, customs authorities said Thursday. The ban started immediately and will affect all imports of “aquatic products” including seafood, according to the notice.
Authorities said they will “dynamically adjust relevant regulatory measures as appropriate to prevent the risks of nuclear-contaminated water discharge to the health and food safety of our country.”
Shortly after China’s announcement, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings President Tomoaki Kobayakawa said the utility was preparing to compensate Japanese business owners appropriately for damages suffered by export bans from “the foreign government.” He said China is a key trading partner and he will do his utmost to provide scientific explanations of the release so the ban will be dropped as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan asked China to immediately lift the ban. “We will keep strongly requesting that the Chinese government firmly carry out a scientific discussion,” Kishida said, pledging to protect the fisheries industry from reputational damage due to the release.
The Japanese government and TEPCO say the water must be released to make room for the plant’s decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks. They say the treatment and dilution will make the wastewater safer than international standards and its environmental impact will be negligible.
Tony Hooker, director of the Center for Radiation Research, Education, Innovation at the University of Adelaide, said the water released from the Fukushima plant is safe.
“It certainly is well below the World Health Organization drinking water guidelines, It’s a very political issue of disposing radiation into the sea,” he said.
