Japan-China Seafood Dispute Escalates, Prolonging Trade tensions
BEIJING - A deepening dispute over Japanese seafood exports and critical remarks exchanged between goverment officials signal that easing tensions between Japan and China may take considerably longer than anticipated, potentially impacting trade relations and regional stability. The conflict centers on Japan’s release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and China’s subsequent ban on all seafood imports from ten Japanese prefectures.
The core of the disagreement lies in transparency and trust.while Japan asserts it has met prerequisites for export – including assurances of product quality and safety – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated Wednesday that Japan “has so far failed to provide the promised technical materials” supporting those claims. Despite these assurances, mao added that even if exports resumed, Japanese seafood “would not find a market” in China. this stance follows Beijing’s notification citing concerns over the treated and diluted water released from the Fukushima plant, which suffered a triple meltdown during the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Japan maintains the water, used to cool molten fuel, is treated to remove most radioactive substances, with tritium levels diluted to approximately one-seventh of the World Health Organization’s drinking water guidance. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru confirmed ongoing technical exchanges with China and pledged to continue urging Beijing to lift the import bans and facilitate the re-registration of related facilities.
The dispute has escalated beyond trade,triggering a diplomatic clash. Japanese officials lodged a strong protest with China over a social media post by Xue Jian,the Chinese consul-general in Osaka,responding to comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi. Government sources indicate Japan demanded xue’s voluntary return home. In response, mao Ning warned that if Japan does not retract Takaichi’s remarks, or “continues ‘making these mistakes,'” China will be forced to take “stern and resolute” countermeasures.
Kanai Masaaki, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, briefed Prime Minister takaichi Wednesday on his recent talks with Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong in Beijing, highlighting the severity of the current impasse. The ongoing friction underscores the fragility of the relationship between the two East Asian powers and casts a shadow over future economic cooperation.
