Hong Kong Warns "Expansion of Japan's Seafood Import Ban if Fukushima Contaminated Water is Discharged"

The Hong Kong government has warned that if Japan proceeds with the ocean discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, it will expand the current ban on seafood from Fukushima to cover all of Japan. Since China and Hong Kong are the largest import regions for Japanese agricultural and marine products, a significant impact on Japan's fishing industry is expected.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 11th, John Lee (李家超), Chief Executive of Hong Kong, stated at a press conference, "If the Japanese government proceeds with the plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, we will impose import bans on seafood from more prefectures in Japan," adding, "The import ban could be expanded immediately once the contaminated water is released into the sea."

He continued, "Continuously discharging nuclear wastewater over 24 hours poses unknown risks, so the Hong Kong government must ensure food safety," emphasizing, "While the expansion of the seafood import ban may affect restaurants in Hong Kong, we will seek their understanding." He also mentioned that a task force composed of relevant departments in Hong Kong has been formed to devise an action plan and that detailed information will be disclosed in the future.

Currently, Hong Kong designates seafood from Fukushima Prefecture as banned and restricts imports of seafood from four nearby prefectures, including Chiba and Ibaraki. Following the release of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s final verification report and Japan's recent moves to implement the contaminated water discharge soon, Hong Kong authorities have issued a strong warning.

Hong Kong ranks as the second-largest export market for Japanese agricultural and marine products after China, with export value reaching 75.5 billion yen (approximately 69.5 billion KRW) last year according to Japanese statistics. With local elections in the Tohoku region, including Fukushima, scheduled for August, where fishermen's votes are crucial, it is expected that the Japanese government will find it difficult to ignore Hong Kong's warning.

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