Hong Kong vows to ban more sea products from Japan if Fukushima wastewater discharged

Hong Kong has planned to ban “a large number of prefectural sea products” from Japan if the country proceeds with a controversial plan to discharge radioactive wastewater into the sea, said Chief Executive of HKSAR John Lee Ka-Chiu on July 11. He further showed his willingness to “err on the side of caution”, reported China-based news outlet SCMP. 

He has promised to take up the issue with a "very serious” attitude and would assure food safety in the city. This comes as Japan has planned to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster into the sea as early as August. 

According to the local news report, it would take an estimated 30 years to dispose of 1.37 million tonnes of contaminated water. Last week, China announced plans to ban imports from ten Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima. Further, it has been instructed that all shipments from other regions of the country be fully screened, instead of undergoing spot checks.

Hong Kong to ban sea products

Calling Japan's plan to discharge the wastewater “unprecedented”, Lee warned about the risks which are "ver unknown" in other areas.

“I can tell you that the action we will take if the exercise really starts, is that we will be banning a large number of prefectural sea products beyond the present scale,” said Lee said on July 11, ahead of his weekly meeting with the Executive Council.

He further emphasised that the ban would go "beyond" the current practice, in which five Japanese prefectures, Fukushima, Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi would only be allowed to export certain food types to Hong Kong that too after providing radiation certificates.

By considering the ban as a safety measure for the people of Hong Kong, Lee has pointed out that the side effects of consuming radioactive food would only surface several years later. Further, he added, " It affects the present population. It will also affect the next generation, our children". 

How will the ban affect Hong Kong?

As Hong Kong has been catering to the seafood industry for a quite long time, the increased restrictions on food imports from Japan might lead to higher prices. While addressing the concern, Lee said, "I’m sure that they will know safety is important. And they will know that public confidence in food safety is so important that it will affect the whole catering sector if we don’t handle it in a way that citizens will feel safe.” He admitted that the government has been "forced" to take such measures for the safety of their people and for their future generations.