Imports of ‘Japanese seafood’ from China decreased by 99% in October… Restoration is not easy

It was found that the amount of seafood China imported from Japan last month decreased by 99% compared to a year ago. This is due to the Chinese government suspending the import of Japanese seafood after Japan discharged contaminated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea at the end of August. Citing statistics released by Chinese customs authorities on the 18th, NHK broadcast reported that the import value of marine products from Japan in October was about 50 million yen (approximately 430 million won), a 99.3% decrease compared to the same month last year. did. On August 24, China halted all imports of Japanese seafood in protest against the discharge of contaminated water. As a result, imports in August decreased by 67% compared to the same period last year, and imports virtually stopped from September. Last year, the amount of seafood exported from Japan to China reached 87.1 billion yen (about 754.6 billion won). The broadcast said, “As the largest amount of Japanese seafood was exported to China, there are concerns about major damage to the fishing industry if the situation continues for a long time.” China’s import suspension has entered its fourth month, but it is not easy to resolve the problem. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in San Francisco on the 16th and demanded the removal of the ban on imports of Japanese seafood. Although the leaders of China and Japan agreed to begin discussions with experts participating, it appears that it will not be easy to find an agreement in the short term, with President Xi saying that ‘appropriate handling’ is necessary. Prime Minister Kishida also met with reporters after the Apec summit and said, “Honestly, it is not a situation that can be predicted” regarding the timing of the lifting of the ban on seafood imports. Tokyo/Kim So-yeon, Correspondent [email protected]