China and Japan Agree on Fukushima Water Discharge, Gradually Lifting Seafood Ban: PM Kishida

Sep 20, 2024, 08:40 AM

China and Japan have reached an agreement regarding the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. As part of the agreement, Japan has expressed an openness to allow third-party countries to join the monitoring of the water discharge, a key demand from China. This development paves the way for China to gradually lift its ban on Japanese seafood imports. The ban will not be lifted immediately, but China has agreed to steadily return to previous levels of marine imports from Japan based on additional monitoring results and compliance with Chinese regulations. Both countries have conducted multiple rounds of consultations, and China will conduct independent sampling and take part in long-term international monitoring. Japanese PM Fumio Kishida confirmed that Japan is ready for additional monitoring on ALPS-treated water. The agreement was initially reported by NHK.