Yeo: "If contaminated water is discharged, affected countries will unite to consider banning imports of Japanese seafood"

Cooperation with China, Taiwan, Canada, etc.
Japan's Plan to Ban Seafood Imports Under Review
Lee Jae-myung: "Excess is Better Than Deficiency"
Pressure on Japanese Government Through Domestic Public Opinion Needed

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] As Japan ultimately plans to discharge contaminated water from Fukushima, voices within the political sphere are growing louder, calling for a complete ban on Japanese seafood imports in cooperation with the countries expected to be affected.

In a situation where it is difficult to expect help from the international community such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the international solidarity card of 'banning seafood imports' could provoke opposition from Japan's fishing industry, potentially prompting the Japanese government, feeling domestic public pressure, to seek alternatives.

Kim Young-ho, the secretary of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 26th, "We are reviewing the possibility of consulting with the government to consider a plan to completely ban Japanese seafood imports in alliance with the affected countries." Specifically, Kim mentioned China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Mexico, and Canada as potential partners for cooperation.

It also seems possible to form an alliance with the Trans-Pacific Peace Park City Council (Jeju, San Diego in the United States, Vladivostok in Russia, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, Tijuana in Mexico, etc.). The idea is that if contaminated water is discharged, the seafood import ban should not be limited to South Korea but expanded to Pacific neighboring countries through international cooperation, thereby broadening the 'anti-contaminated water discharge front.'

Regarding this, a key official from the Democratic Party said, "Since the influence of Japan's seafood interest groups is considerable and the market size is large, international solidarity related to the seafood import ban could be a significant variable," adding, "Japanese domestic politics could be shaken."

Japan is the world's seventh-largest seafood producer, producing more than 4 million tons annually. Because of this, there is also strong domestic opposition to the discharge of contaminated water. At a briefing held by the Japanese government on the 18th in Fukushima Prefecture regarding the discharge of contaminated water, Nozaki Tetsu, chairman of the Fukushima Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Association Federation, expressed strong opposition.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Voices calling for a tough response to Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water are emerging through various channels in the political sphere. Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential candidate from the ruling party and governor of Gyeonggi Province, said, "(Regarding the administration of Japan's contaminated water discharge) it is better to be excessive than insufficient," adding, "We will actively respond to protect the safety of the sovereign people."

Choi Jong-geun, the first vice foreign minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is on a tour of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, also stated in a media interview on-site, "During my visit, I emphasized to the governments of various Latin American countries that 'the ocean is one.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.