Photo/Illutration The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, where the release of treated water into the ocean began on Aug. 24, 2023 (Takeshi Iwashita)

China is set to ease its blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, which has been in place for more than a year since the start of the release of treated radioactive water into the sea. 

Japan and China reached an agreement on Sept. 20 after Tokyo and the International Atomic Energy Agency decided the same day to allow China to join the monitoring of the treated water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke with reporters after he held telephone talks with IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi.

Kishida said, “We welcome this additional monitoring.”

“China has begun adjusting its import restrictions and will steadily resume imports of Japanese seafood that meet safety standards,” the prime minister said. “Our country’s position that the restrictions should be promptly lifted has not changed, and we will continue working toward full removal of the restrictions.”

During their talks, Kishida and Grossi agreed to conduct “additional monitoring,” which would allow countries to participate under the supervision of the IAEA.

The monitoring will include seawater sampling by experts and data comparisons between different analysis institutions.

China and other neighboring countries are expected to take part.

China has called the treated water “nuclear-contaminated water” and imposed the blanket ban on imports of Japanese seafood from Aug. 24, 2023, when Japan began releasing treated water from the Fukushima plant.

In November that year, Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resolve the issue of the water release through dialogue. Officials had been engaged in working-level talks since the beginning of this year. 

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