Food imports from Japan's Fukushima, 9 other regions banned by China

Chinese customs announced on Friday that it has decided to ban the import of food from ten prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima. This move is a response to Japan's plan to release radioactive nuclear waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. China had expressed concerns over the Japanese plan.

Final preparations to dump the waste after IAEA approval

Japan is making the final preparations for dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea after getting a green light from the global nuclear watchdog - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Japan is expected to begin the release of the nuclear waste water within weeks. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson had expressed concerns and opposed the move.

China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) said on Friday that the issue of dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean from Fukushima has become a global concern and has also raised concerns among Chinese consumers about the safety of imported Japanese food. The customs authorities also slammed the IAEA report on the plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

Ban to protect Chinese consumers

The GACC said in the statement that the ban will be enforced in order to prevent the import of Japanese food contaminated with radioactive substances and protect the safety of Chinese consumers. Chinese customs authorities said that strict examination of the accompanying documents will be conducted, and an absolute inspection will be implemented for food products from other regions in Japan, especially aquatic products, including edible aquatic animals.

'China closely monitoring the situation'

Chinese customs authorities said that it has attached great importance to the issue of radioactive contamination of Japanese food imported to China since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. Chinese state media Global Times has reported that China has closely monitored the measures taken by the Japanese government regarding the Fukushima nuclear accident and continues to assess and respond to the risk of radioactive contamination in Japanese food.