Japan has once again urged Hong Kong to immediately lift the restriction on aquatic imports from 10 prefectures, which has been in place for more than two years, saying the ban lacks scientific evidence and highlighting the safety of its food products.
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The Japanese consulate general in Hong Kong on Friday urged the city’s government to drop the ban imposed after the country’s August 2023 decision to release 1.34 million tonnes of treated waste water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The consulate made a similar appeal to Macau, which has prohibited the import of aquatic products, fresh foods and animal food products originating from the same prefectures.
“We will also continue to request that the Hong Kong government and the Macau government take appropriate measures early, based on scientific evidence, for the immediate lifting of import restriction measures, which Japan has been seeking,” the consulate said.
Hong Kong has banned aquatic products from Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama prefectures since August 24, 2023, with stricter tests being in place to detect radiation in imported Japanese food.
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The prohibited products include all live, frozen, chilled, dried, or otherwise preserved aquatic products, as well as sea salt and unprocessed or processed seaweed.