China has announced that it will uphold its ban on certain Japanese food imports in response to Japan's plan to release water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, BBC reports.
China's customs administration also stated that it would implement radiation tests on food from other regions of Japan. South Korea has also maintained a similar ban but acknowledges that the proposed water release meets international standards.
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog declared on Wednesday that the planned release would have a minimal impact on the environment. Japan's nuclear regulator also provided its approval on Friday.
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered severe damage in 2011 when a tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, flooded three reactors. It is considered the most significant nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The area surrounding the plant remains under evacuation orders, and the decommissioning process is underway but expected to take decades.
Meanwhile, the Fukushima facility has accumulated approximately 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools' worth of water, according to Reuters. As storage space becomes limited, the Japanese government and the plant's operator, Tepco, have proposed releasing the water into the sea. However, this plan has faced criticism from various regions, with China being particularly vocal.
China's customs authority stated that it would maintain a high level of vigilance regarding the issue. Japan's foreign ministry is reportedly considering potential measures in response. China has accused Japan of treating the ocean as its "private sewer" and has cautioned the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against endorsing the plan. The IAEA released a report affirming that the environmental impact would be negligible.
The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, expressed his confidence in the agency's assessment during a visit to Tokyo, emphasizing that their findings were based on scientific evidence and not biased. South Korea has also continued its ban on seafood imports from Fukushima and certain other Japanese prefectures. Local fishing communities in Japan have raised concerns about the plan and its potential implications for their livelihoods.
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