Fukushima Water Reduces China's Japan Seafood Imports by 68%

China's seafood imports from Japan dropped by 67.6% from the previous year in August, according to Beijing customs data reported by Kyodo News.

The Fukushima releasing issue has been a waterloo to Japan's seafood exports. I Photo: 資源エネルギー庁 Wikimedia Commons

This decline came as Beijing implemented a complete ban on marine products shipped from Japan late in August.

The rate of decline accelerated from 28.5% in July, following China's imposition of a total ban in response to the discharge of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea starting on August 24.

In August, China imported seafood worth 149.02 million yuan ($20.43 million) from Japan, as indicated by the data. Beijing strongly opposed the discharge of Fukushima water, labeling it as "nuclear-contaminated," and demanded an immediate halt to the process.

Even before the water release began in late August, China had already increased controls on marine product imports from Japan in early July by implementing comprehensive radiation testing.

The prolonged customs procedures required for blanket testing significantly reduced China's imports of chilled fresh fish products from Japan in July, causing harm to dealers and Japanese exporters, as reported by Mainichi Japan.

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