Russia is considering joining China in its ban on Japanese seafood imports following Japan’s actions to release treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, Russia’s food safety watchdog Rosselkhoznador said on Sept. 26.
“Taking into account the possible risks of products being contaminated by radiation, Rosselkhoznadzor is considering the possibility of joining the Chinese in restricting the supply of fish products from Japan,” the regulator stated.
“A final decision will be made after negotiations with the Japanese side,” it stated.
Rosselkhoznador said it has asked Japan to provide information by Oct. 16 about its methodology for testing exported fish products for radiation content, including the residual presence of the radioactive isotope tritium.
This year, Russia has imported about 118 metric tons of Japanese seafood as of September, according to the Russian regulator. The country received 190 metric tons of fish products from Japan in 2022.
Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said that Japan will scrutinize Russia’s remarks but urged the Russian government to “act based on scientific evidence.”
Mr. Matsuno told reporters that Russia was a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s expert team that examined and approved the Fukushima water release plan in July.
In its latest report on water testing, Japan’s Environment Ministry said that analysis results of seawater sampled on Sept. 19 showed that tritium concentrations were below the lower limit of detection at 11 sampling points and would have no adverse effects on human health and the environment.
China Urged to Rely on Scientific Evidence
In early September, Japan’s foreign ministry filed a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization against China’s ban and urged the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime to repeal the measure.In the document, the ministry emphasized that Japan’s standard for releasing tritium—which is less than 22 trillion becquerels per year—is lower than China’s for its nuclear reactors.
“For instance, the amount of tritium to be released annually from [Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station] is approximately one-tenth of the amount of tritium released from Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in China,” the ministry stated.
It’s important for Japan to maintain the international community’s trust rather than to worry about strong opposition from specific countries, Mr. Akiyama said.
“This does not mean that communication is no longer necessary because safety has been scientifically proven,“ he told Japanese media organization NHK. ”Rather, it is necessary to achieve both scientific safety and social security.”
