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Japan ruling party lawmaker urges China to lift seafood import ban

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This ban is just another example of why China can never, ever be trusted - on trade or anything else. It should never have been implemented, as it clearly breaks WTO rules.

See Articles 2.2 and 5:

https://www.worldtradelaw.net/document.php?id=uragreements/spsagreement.pdf&mode=download

And China has the gall to apply for CPTPP membership, where one of the requirements is "a demonstrated pattern of complying with trade commitments." It's difficult to think of a country that is less qualified than China.

The LDP's No. 2 pointed out in his keynote speech that the countries need to boost mutual understanding between their peoples and strengthen dialogue at various levels to improve their ties.

Sadly, "mutual understanding" and "improved ties" are impossible whilst China constantly lies, threatens, and breaks the rules that are there in black and white.

17 ( +22 / -5 )

Japan should ban seafood exports to China. On the grounds that Chinese nuclear powerplants discharge higher levels of tritium than the Fukushima plant discharges. And a international investigation of Chinese plants should be carried out.

"Scientists have pointed out that China’s own nuclear power plants release wastewater with higher levels of tritium than that found in Fukushima’s discharge, and that the levels are all within boundaries not considered to be harmful to human health."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/25/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-plant-china-wastewater-release

13 ( +19 / -6 )

Trade chips. Sell fish. It is as simple as that.

-13 ( +3 / -16 )

If it was the other way around and China were the ones dumping nuclear waste into the sea then Japan would have been the first ones to ban all seafood from that region…. Japan and its supporters are hypocrites!

-18 ( +5 / -23 )

if it was the other way around and China were the ones dumping nuclear waste into the sea then Japan would have been the first ones to ban all seafood from that region

Then you'll be outraged to hear that a single Chinese nuclear plant discharges about three times as much tritium as the Fukushima release.

You must be pretty happy about Japan not banning all Chinese seafood for this, right? Rather nice of them, right?

18 ( +20 / -2 )

China's ban is obviously ridiculous and bogus, but frankly if Japan's fishing industry can succeed without exports to China, I'd say let them keep their stupid ban. It only deprives Chinese people of enjoying seafood that's better than anything available domestically. Providing fine, fresh, and untainted Japanese seafood to them would be casting pearls before swine.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Even Chinese people don't buy products made in China.

Japanese people shouldn't buy products made in China either.

It'll be a repeat of the frozen dumplings.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

I'm sure the CCP will buckle to this delegations demands tout de suite.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Agent Neo: "Even Chinese people don't buy products made in China.

Japanese people shouldn't buy products made in China either."

Silliest thing I've heard in a while. Every product you own, more or less, is made in China, or the parts are and/or it's assembled there. Could be your iPhone, could be your "Toshiba" air-conditioner (the newer models are made overseas and assembled in China or Vietnam). Temu, an EXTREMELY popular online shopping site in Japan, is ALL Chinese. All cashmere products in Japan are made using cashmere from China. 90% of washing machine and laptop imports come from China. Cereals, cotton, dairy products, eggs, honey, broadcasting equipment, machine parts, and a million other things... all from China.

Now, I'm not saying that has anything to do with China banning seafood products from Japan, but I'm directly responding to the ridiculous idea that Japan doesn't buy products from or made in China. And with the quality of the products increasing (green tech is miles above Japan), and prices still being low, there's a good reason why major Japanese companies can't even be found in the world's top ten.

In any case, on the grounds of safety, if the food can actually be proven safe, then perhaps China can rethink their ban. On an ethical level, Japan is treating the world's ocean as its personal toilet DESPITE being warned of the repercussions, so if China wants to keep the ban on then it's up to them. They could lift it and apply a condition -- Japan no longer dumps any nuclear waste ("treated water") into the ocean. But they won't do that, will they? So, why is China being obliged to meet Japan's requests and it will do absolutely nothing in return?

-11 ( +0 / -11 )

smithinjapanToday 11:24 pm JST

In any case, on the grounds of safety, if the food can actually be proven safe, then perhaps China can rethink their ban.

The IAEA has stated repeatedly that the plan is "consistent with international safety standards," and that it will have a "negligible effect," and it has confirmed this via monitoring with each release for over a year. Seafood is also sampled and monitored, and TEPCO (with the IAEA's cooperation) has been raising marine organisms in the treated water to show its safety.

The WTO rules state that a ban on safety must be "based on scientific principles and is not maintained without sufficient scientific evidence." There is zero scientific basis for China's ban. It is purely political.

Furthermore, this monitoring framework that China has recently (apparently) agreed to was offered by Japan over a year ago. China refused, for the sole reason of practicing economic coercion for the past year (again, in clear violation of WTO rules).

On an ethical level, Japan is treating the world's ocean as its personal toilet DESPITE being warned of the repercussions

Japan's plan has been validated by the IAEA, and all monitoring so far has shown no problems.

so if China wants to keep the ban on then it's up to them.

Not when the ban violates WTO rules, per the above.

They could lift it and apply a condition -- Japan no longer dumps any nuclear waste ("treated water") into the ocean.

The treated water has been repeatedly shown to be safe by the IAEA.

And, as mentioned by ClippetyClop above, China releases far worse. It doesn't ban its own seafood, does it?

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/03/d7a70def8245-chinas-nuclear-plants-released-tritium-above-fukushima-level-in-2022.html

So, why is China being obliged to meet Japan's requests and it will do absolutely nothing in return?

China is obliged to meet WTO rules, which it willingly signed up to. Nothing more, nothing less.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Almost like some are pretending Tokyo has never ever imposed import restrictions.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

-14 ( +0 / -14 )

once you understand that sino-any country politics are an illusion, you can spend less time typing. and enjoying more fish.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Japan can sell their fishery stuffs to India or the Philippines !

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Concern Japanese expatriates in China has grown since the fatal stabbing...

China is a lawful country with a good judiciary system,a professional police force. Any violence were not tolerated for whatever people and whatever reasons. I think the Japanese should aware the safety of their own country especially the Okinawa prefecture due to a large and unstable garrison over there !

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

@USNJapan2 If Japan's fishing industry can succeed without exports to China.

There is no "IF" the fact is China being the biggest market for Japanese fishery products. The Japanese can try exporting those stuffs to India. That country has a very serious hunger problems ranking almost the bottom of world hunger index !

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Scientists have pointed out that China nuclear power plants release wastewater with higher levels of tritium than that Fukushima’s discharge

No! Big difference , the Japanese wastewater were those have been contacted and submerged with that strickened reactor. The Chinese waste water never contactes or submerged in the core of nuclear reactor, just pure coolant water that's why is very safe !

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

We trust Japanese-borne food more than Chinese-borne food anyways. Don't forget all those tainted food fiascos in China like the nitrate-contaminated infant milk that even Chinese mothers en-masse refused to buy any Chinese milk but instead turned to Japanese milk

No! Big difference , the Japanese wastewater were those have been contacted and submerged with that strickened reactor. The Chinese waste water never contactes or submerged in the core of nuclear reactor, just pure coolant water that's why is very safe !

No, any nuclear plant coolant water is considered contaminated and needs to be treated if it ever needs to be released to the environment. But nuclear plants don't typically release coolant water (it's recirculated in a closed loop - it'd be prohibitively wasteful otherwise)

Nevertheless, any coolant water can be treated to make it safe. After all, that's what they do when nuclear power plants are decommissioned and shut down - they don't store the water forever:

https://www.membracon.co.uk/blog/nuclear-power-and-water-consumption/

The recycling system treats the water to remove strontium and radionuclides through filtration, distillation, and vaporisation. Filtering the water decontaminates it to a level suitable for release or use in other processes.

 

When nuclear water is recycled, it gets reused, or the plant operator can request to release it into a nearby water body at the end of its life.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

When I hear that the quality of Chinese products is improving, I wonder what this all means.

It's true that there are plenty of made-in-China products out there, but I tend to avoid food made in China in particular.

And when it comes to life-threatening parts like cars and trains, you can't trust anything made in China.

And the claim that Japanese food is dangerous is just another baseless accusation from China, as there is no evidence, just like with history.

In America, a large part of the deficit is Chinese products, and they are the cause of economic friction, so it will be interesting to see what kind of sanctions Trump will impose.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

And the claim that Japanese food is dangerous is just another baseless accusation from China, as there is no evidence, just like with history.

Maybe not food, but Kobayashi Pharma killed about 80 people and hospitalized another 500 or so in the last couple of years with their yeast supplements. Painful deaths too.

It was all over the news n stuff.

The regulations here aren't as good as you think they are.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

In China, even if 100 times as many people died as Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's victims, it wouldn't even make the news. Because that's commonplace lol.

Sewage oil, plastic rice, cardboard dumplings, high-concentration pesticides.

How many people have had their lives cut short so far?

Poisonous air, poisonous food, poisonous government. Nothing is harmless.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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