Hong Kong to seek more information before it considers easing ban on Japanese seafood imports
Beijing earlier said it had agreed to ‘gradually resume’ imports of Japanese seafood following rounds of talks between the two countries
Hong Kong authorities will seek more information from Tokyo and Beijing to look into the possibility of easing restrictions on seafood imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, following the central government’s decision to “gradually” lift its own sweeping ban.
“The Environment and Ecology Bureau will seek more relevant information from the authorities on the mainland and Japan, and on the premise of ensuring food safety, will evaluate whether we can gradually relax the currently adopted preventive measures based on scientific evidence,” the government said on Friday.
The rare agreement followed “rounds of talks” between the two countries.
The Hong Kong government said it remained concerned about the time span of the discharge – projected to last 30 years and involve more than 1.3 million tonnes of waste water.
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China to ‘gradually’ lift ban on Japanese seafood imports, but still opposes Fukushima discharge
It noted that recent discussions between Beijing and Tokyo had led to a consensus on establishing a long-term international monitoring framework under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and that the arrangement would ensure effective participation and independent sampling by all concerned nations to address worries.
