U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said the purchases could help offset the import ban by China, which cited safety fears amid the release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

The United States has started bulk buying Japanese seafood to supply its military there in response to China’s ban on such products imposed after Tokyo released treated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

Unveiling the initiative in a Reuters interview on Monday, U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said Washington should also look more broadly into how it could help offset China’s ban that he said was part of its “economic wars.”

China, which had been the biggest buyer of Japanese seafood, says its ban is due to food safety fears.

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog vouched for the safety of the water release that began in August from the plant wrecked by a 2011 tsunami. G7 trade ministers on Sunday called for the immediate repeal of bans on Japanese food.

  • @cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0•1 year ago

    No, that’s just not true. There is no infrastructure for Japanese fishing companies to show that each catch is free of contamination.

    Also, as far as I’m aware testing to see if fish have been affected by the initial release of wastewater has only just begun. I don’t even think the results are publicly available yet. To add to that scientists have found contaminated fish from the Fukushima area containing unsafe levels of radionuclides prior to this release of wastewater.