The latest changes in the press release content of the daily government update on the inspection of aquatic products imported from Japan have sparked speculation that such restrictions could be lifted in the near future.
The paragraph -- "As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor the situation and continue to implement the enhanced testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban" -- which was initially mentioned in the daily press release on the inspection, has been deleted since late May.
The removed statement has been included in every inspection press release since September 2023 and was last seen in the May 29 edition.
Since Japan began discharging nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station in 2023, the mainland has made a total ban on aquatic products from Japan’s 47 prefectures since August in the same year, while the Hong Kong ban was limited to seafood, sea salt, and seaweed from 10 prefectures including Fukushima, Tokyo, and Chiba.
An agreement was reached between the Chinese government and Japan in May, which stated that Japanese aquatic products originating from areas other than the 10 prefectures closest to the nuclear-contaminated water discharge points could re-enter the Chinese market.
Earlier this month, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan met with the Japanese Consul-General in Hong Kong Jun Miura to discuss the ban on aquatic products.
The Environment and Ecology Bureau has not directly responded to the reasons behind the deletion of the paragraph, but stated that they are aware Japan is taking proactive measures and has continued to conduct long-term international monitoring of Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s framework.
They asserted that they will continue to assess whether it is suitable to gradually ease the restrictions based on the latest developments and scientific evidence.
(Natasha Ng and Khan Heeba Lazmi)
