The tension is mounting between South Korea and Japan over a ban on seafood imports from Fukushima as progress continues to be made on a plan to discharge treated wastewater from the plant damaged in the 2011 tsunami.
Despite improvements in the negotiations, it remains dry on the seafood issue. As The Korean Times reported, during a press conference last Friday, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's Chief of Staff, said: "Japan will firmly demand (Korea and China) early lifting of seafood import bans, explaining that the scientific safety of all food distributed domestically and internationally are guaranteed through our existing safety measures."
Meanwhile, South Korea remains unmoved by Tokyo's response. Since 2013, the country has banned the entry of fish products from Fukushima and seven nearby regions affected by the nuclear disaster due to concerns about radioactive contamination. In March, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency carried a statement from the presidential office clarifying that Seoul would not change its mind. "Regarding the import of Japanese seafood, the government's stance remains unchanged that people's health and safety are the absolute priority." A stance they would continue without abandoning.
Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been complicated for decades. Their main problem has been the unresolved issues related to the Japanese colonization of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945.
This year a historic summit took place between Yoon, the leader of South Korea, and Fumio Kishida, the Japanese Prime Minister. During this meeting, the two leaders agreed to put the arduous history between their countries behind them and focus on shared security concerns. Already, at this time, this rapprochement generated speculation that the seafood ban could be relaxed, and as explained by The Korean Times, Japanese media reported that this issue was being discussed.
In 2019, the World Trade Organization ruled in favor of a ban on seafood products from South Korea, overturning a previous decision that deemed the restrictions unjustified years after the disaster. Nevertheless, the measures have not been homogeneous in all countries. For instance, the U.S. lifted the last remaining restrictions on Japanese food imports in 2021, following a similar move by the EU. Taiwan, for example, would do so in 2022.
For the moment, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi is expected to arrive in Tokyo today to deliver his agency's final report on its years-long safety review of the wastewater discharge plan. The IAEA is widely expected to give Japan a clean bill of health, considering that its previous reports found the country's measurement of treated water to be "accurate and precise."
The Korean Times also reported speculation about Grossi's possible visit to Seoul following his trip to Tokyo. While there are no official confirmations, all these fact are emerging doubts within the community regarding the firmness of his stance on the Fukushima fishing industry.
