By KAZUKI UECHI/ Staff Writer
August 29, 2023 at 19:02 JST
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks to reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Aug. 29. (Kazuki Uechi)
Japan suggested filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization against China over its blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports following the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Aug. 29 that Japan will “take necessary measures including actions at the WTO.”
“China’s actions are not based on science and are utterly unacceptable,” he added.
Tokyo has been campaigning at the WTO to lift trade restrictions on Japanese food imposed by China and other countries following the 2011 nuclear accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
While harshly criticizing Beijing, Hayashi also suggested that Japan has no desire to let this latest dispute escalate into a full-blown diplomatic row with its neighbor.
Hayashi urged China to act in a calm, constructive manner so that the two countries can develop a more stable relationship.
“We’ll say what we have to say to Chinese officials and urge them to act responsibly,” said Hayashi. “That’s why we need to maintain close contact with them.”
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