China bans Japanese seafood imports over Fukushima 1

Chinese customs authorities have banned the import of all seafood from Japan due to the fact that the discharge of water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant began, transmits A.P. News.

Beijing pledged to “dynamically adjust relevant regulatory measures as necessary to prevent the risks of the release of water contaminated with nuclear elements to the health and food safety of our country.” The ban takes effect immediately.

According to AP, nuclear power plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) after this statement promised to compensate Japanese manufacturers for the damage suffered as a result of the export ban by the “foreign government”.

In July China introduced a temporary ban on the import of food products from 10 prefectures in Japan, and tightened controls on accompanying documents for products from other prefectures.

On July 4, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) considered safe the plans of the operator of the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima-1, TEPCO, to dump accumulated water contaminated with a radioactive isotope of tritium into the Pacific Ocean. Before the release, Japan promised that it would dilute the water to bring the tritium content below regulatory standards. Russia strengthen sanitary and quarantine control over marine products imported from Japan, Rospotrebnadzor reported at the same time.

The Japanese government and TEPCO are dumping radiation-free water into the ocean, a move necessary to decommission the nuclear power plant and prevent accidental radiation leaks.

The decision was made after two years of research by IAEA experts. The water was used to cool the nuclear power units damaged by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and it can no longer be stored at the plant site. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi noted that the discharge of treated water “will have a negligible radiation impact on the population and the environment.”