Marine products from 10 Japanese prefectures will be banned immediately if wastewater dumping plan proceeds

Secretary for Environment & Ecology, Tse Chin-wan said on Wednesday that marine products from 10 Japanese prefectures will be banned immediately if the country starts dumping nuclear wastewater into the ocean.

His comments came as Japan aims to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster into the Pacific Ocean. Japan plans to start as early as August and will keep doing so for some 30 years.

Tse told reporters today that once Japan starts dumping the wastewater, marine products from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, Tokyo, and Chiba, will be banned from importing to Hong Kong.

The environment chief said the SAR government will maintain close communication with Japanese authorities over their wastewater dumping plan, and will closely monitor its food imports.

When asked whether the SAR will fall in line with Chinese authorities to implement full inspection on imported Japanese products, Tse said that marine products from other prefectures will be tested as well as banning all products from high-risk areas to ensure food safety.

He also noted that the government understood the catering industry’s concerns and will stay in close communication with industry leaders.