Japanese Government Requests South Korean Inspection Team to Resume Imports of Fukushima Seafood

Nomura Tetsuro, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Post-Cabinet Press Conference
Fukushima Local Media Also Hopes for Term Change from "Contaminated Water" to "Treated Water"

On the 23rd, the South Korean government’s inspection team visiting Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant sparked controversy as the Japanese government requested the team to lift the ban on seafood imports from the Fukushima nuclear accident area.

According to NHK on the 23rd, Tetsuro Nomura, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, expressed this opinion at a press conference following the Cabinet meeting. He said, "South Korea has suspended all seafood imports from eight prefectures including Fukushima and Miyagi," adding, "I heard that this inspection mainly focuses on investigating the treated water, but I would also like to ask for the lifting of import restrictions." NHK reported that the government expressed a desire to request the lifting of import bans on seafood and other products.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this way, the Japanese government showed expectations that accepting this inspection team would deepen South Korea’s understanding of the contaminated water discharge. On the same day, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, also said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, "We expect a deeper understanding of safety."

In response to reporters’ questions about the South Korean inspection team’s visit, he emphasized, "(The Japanese government) is transparently and politely explaining to the international community based on scientific evidence," adding, "During the South Korean experts’ inspection, we want to explain including numerical data and show the current status of the tanks and construction progress."

Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary and government spokesperson, said at a regular morning press conference that day, "The inspection team is scheduled to receive explanations from Tokyo Electric Power Company under the participation of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry," and added, "Based on the consensus reached at the Group of Seven (G7) summit, we plan to provide highly transparent information and respond to enhance international understanding."

Earlier, on the 20th, the G7 issued a joint statement supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s independent verification regarding the discharge of contaminated water. Since the Japanese government has officially accepted only the IAEA’s verification, it appears to have drawn a line regarding the verification process by the South Korean inspection team.

Local media in the Fukushima area also expressed expectations that public opinion in South Korea might change through the on-site inspection. Fukushima Central TV, a local private broadcaster, stated that day, "The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company consider the treated water safe, but the South Korean government has so far called the treated water contaminated water. Attention is focused on how the terminology might change through this on-site inspection."

They added, "From the perspective of local media, we hope that scientific discussions considering the positions of both South Korea and Japan will proceed," and "We hope that the expression ‘contaminated water’ used in South Korea until now will change at least somewhat through this inspection."

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