China has suspended imports of Japanese seafood again, as the fallout over the Japanese prime minister’s comments about Taiwan continues to escalate in one of worst bilateral disputes in years.
According to The Guardian, the ban was first reported on Wednesday, November 19, by the Japanese outlets Kyodo News and NHK, and appeared to be confirmed by China’s foreign ministry, which said there was “no market for Japanese seafood in the current climate.”
The reports said China’s government had informed Japan it was suspending all seafood imports, months after it partly lifted a previous ban issued in 2023.
The original ban was imposed in response to Japan’s decision to release wastewater from the damaged and decommissioned Fukushima nuclear plant.
Chinese officials reportedly said Wednesday’s decision was related to a need to further monitor the water source, but it has been widely received as part of China’s retaliatory measures amid a deepening diplomatic row with Japan.
At a regular press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Japan had “failed to provide the technical documentation it committed to”.
“I would also like to emphasise that due to [Japanese] prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent actions that go against the tide and her erroneous remarks on major issues such as Taiwan, which have triggered strong public outrage in China, there would be no market for Japanese seafood in the current climate even if Japan were able to export it to China,” Ning added.
Before the 2023 ban, the Chinese market, including Hong Kong, accounted for more than one-fifth of Japan’s exports.
The spat started after Takaichi told her country’s parliament earlier this month that Japan could become militarily involved if China attacked Taiwan, because it would be a threat to Japan’s existence.
