Fukushima wastewater release: PM Fumio Kishida says China agreed to discuss Japanese seafood ban
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Fumio Kishida discussed the issue with Xi when he met him in the US on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific economic leaders' summit
China has agreed to talk about the ban it imposed on Japanese seafood after Tokyo started to relase waste water from wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean gradually, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco.
As an immediate reaction of water release, Beijing announced it would "completely suspend the import of aquatic products originating in Japan" to "prevent the risk of radioactive contamination of food safety".
Japanese prime minister said that he discussed the issue with Xi when he met him in the US on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific economic leaders' summit.
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Kishida said on Friday that they talked about ways "to find a resolution through consultation and dialogue based upon a constructive attitude".
He also added that China had agreed to expert-level talks, as according to Kishida, discussions will take place based upon science at the experts level in the days ahead.
China has accused Tokyo of treating the sea as a "sewer", but Japan insists that the discharge is safe. It is also backed by the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and promoted by the United States.
Kishida called on China to make an "objective judgment" on the safety of seafood, which is a major industry in Japan.
Kishida said, "Frankly, we are not at this point in a position to predict the timing of the lifting of the import restrictions."
"However, the government will be pressing the Chinese government" and taking measures to support Japanese fishermen, he said.
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'Great East Japan Earthquake': What happened on March 11, 2011?
Japan was struck by a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake which was centred in the Pacific Ocean about 80 kilometres east of the city of Sendai.
The quake led to a powerful tsunami. According to the US Geological Survey, it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan and the fourth largest recorded worldwide since 1900.
As per the data released officially, the number of those confirmed dead or listed as missing from the 2011 disaster was about 18,500. Another estimated it to be at least 20,000. Reports have mentioned that the majority of those killed were drowning victims of the tsunami waves.
(With inputs from agencies)
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