Japan urges Hong Kong to make ‘correct decision’ by lifting 10-prefecture seafood ban

Call from Kenichi Okada, country’s consul general in Hong Kong, in response to progress in talks between Tokyo, Beijing about lifting curbs

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Hong Kong currently bans aquatic products from the Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama prefectures. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 7:10pm, 25 Sep 2024Updated: 7:11pm, 25 Sep 2024

A Japanese diplomat has urged Hong Kong to make the “correct decision” and lift the city’s 13-month-long import ban on aquatic products from 10 prefectures as soon as possible, after Beijing signalled its intention to gradually roll back its own curbs.

Kenichi Okada, the country’s consul general in Hong Kong, made the appeal on Wednesday, a day after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called for access to “sufficient scientific data and evidence” before his administration would consider any possibility of adjusting the restrictions.

Hong Kong currently bans aquatic products from the Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama prefectures.

The Centre for Food Safety also ramped up daily radiation inspections on all other Japanese seafood imports as part of the restrictions.

Okada, appearing at the opening ceremony of the city’s 9th Japan Autumn Festival, said: “Although it is very regrettable that the Hong Kong government still prohibits the import of aquatic products from 10 Japanese prefectures, Hong Kong is currently the largest global export destination for Japanese aquatic products.”

The mainland and Hong Kong imposed restrictions last year in response to Japan’s decision to start releasing 1.34 million tonnes of treated waste water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.