JAKARTA - Japanese officials fear China will expand its ban on Japanese seafood products, after Tokyo will release Fukushima nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean, while Beijing is the largest importer of this type of product.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog this week gave Japan the green light to remove more than a million metric tons of radioactive wastewater, which was used to cool PLTN fuel rods after being damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The planned release of water from the nuclear power plant in northern Tokyo was opposed at home and abroad, despite Japanese guarantees that it was safe after being filtered to eliminate most of the isotopes.
Three Japanese government officials and a lawmaker from the ruling party spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, saying they were anticipating China is expanding Japan's seafood restrictions. Two officials said it could include a thorough ban.
"We think they may impose a total ban on Japanese maritime products," one official said.
"They want to punish Japan economically for this. For China, imports of Japanese maritime products are a small part of their market... but for Japan this is a big market," he continued.
Separately, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday Japan did not fully consult with the international community about the release.
It said Beijing would pay close attention to developments and would assess possible effects to protect consumers.
China is known to have been listed as the largest buyer of Japanese seafood exports last year, although it was among several countries to limit imports from several regions of the Rising Sun after the disaster.
However, China is also the loudest critic of Japan's water release plans, saying it threatens marine life and human health.
China has not said what action will be taken if the release is carried out, but has warned Japan should "response all the consequences" of its actions.
Japan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on possible further bans, but said Japan had sought scientific discussions with China about the release and would continue to do so.
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It is known, China has banned imports of seafood products from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima and the capital Tokyo, as well as all imports of food and feed from the nine prefectures. Sea food imports from other prefectures are allowed but must be tested for radioactivity.
Despite the ban and the majority of Japanese seafood products were consumed in the country, Beijing was listed as the largest importer of Sakura State seafood products last year.
China contributed 22.5 percent of Japan's seafood product exports, worth 87 billion yen (604 million US dollars), followed by Hong Kong with 19.5 percent and the US with 13.9 percent. China is known to have bought more than half of Japan's shell exports.
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