Fukushima fallout: US military offsets China’s ban on Japan seafood imports by buying in bulk

31 Oct 2023 --- The US army is stepping in to buy Japan’s seafood following China’s ban on imports after water was released from the Fukushima nuclear plant earlier this year, sparking food safety radiation concerns.

US armed forces and the fisheries and Japan-based co-ops are understood to be in talks to expand the seafood initiative further and counter China’s ban.

Initial seafood purchases from the US include small volumes of scallops, but that is expected to increase over time.

US soldiers based on vessels and in military locations in Japan will be fed the seafood, while it will be stocked by some shops and restaurants on military bases.

China maintains its cautious position and continues to avoid Japan’s seafood while Japanese authorities insist the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s wastewater was perfectly safe for release into the ocean and no fish or seafood have been affected.

However, this created unstable trade dynamics and accusations of political games and economic sanctions because China was the biggest purchaser of Japan’s seafood. 

Offsetting China’s ban on Japanese seafood
China has banned Japanese seafood imports since the discharge began, and China’s imports of seafood from Japan have slumped in the past months.

G7 trade ministers called for “immediate repeal” of the ban on Japanese seafood.

This appeal was criticized by the Chinese Embassy in Japan, saying: “In order to safeguard food safety and public health, countries have the right to take corresponding preventive measures.”

US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, declared that the US might explore additional avenues to assist Japan against China’s prohibition. “The best way we have proven in all the instances to kind of wear out China’s economic coercion is to come to the aid and assistance of the targeted country or industry,” 

Purchased seafood will be used in military facilities and sold in shops and restaurants on military bases. The US military had not previously bought local seafood in Japan, he said.

“I’ve served the products to my own children; I continue to eat the products from the Fukushima area,” he said. “I’ve served the fish products to some of the highest elected officials in the US government and armed forces, and we will continue to stand with our friends in Japan.”

Additionally, Emanuel suggested that the US might look at its overall fish imports from Japan. The US is also in talks with Japanese authorities to help direct locally caught scallops to US-registered processors.

Information on the cost for the US to sell or provide Japanese seafood to the military stationed in Japan was unavailable from Defense Commissary Agency representatives.

Inspection of local fish product
In a related development, UN inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency took samples from a fish market near the Fukushima nuclear power plant recently following the release of treated wastewater from the wrecked facility in August.

The samples have been dispatched for testing to the IAEA as well as ten other research institutions in Japan, South Korea, China, and Canada to ensure transparency and the safety of the water discharge.

The inspection team anticipates a slight increase in tritium levels in seawater samples near the discharge point from the Fukushima nuclear plant. However, he expects that levels will largely remain consistent with last year’s measurements.

By Gaynor Selby and Sichong Wang