South Korea: Japan hasn't formally requested talks on Fukushima seafood import ban
L'essentiel
- South Korea's foreign ministry stated Japan has not formally requested talks regarding Seoul's ban on seafood imports from Fukushima and neighboring regions, imposed due to radiation concerns after the 2011 nuclear disaster.
- The ban remains in place to protect public health, with consumer confidence in safety needing restoration before it can be lifted.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
South Korea has banned seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima and neighboring regions since September 2013 due to concerns over radiation contamination following the 2011 nuclear disaster. Japan previously challenged this ban at the WTO, which ruled in favor of South Korea in 2019.
By Oh Seok-min
VIENNA, June 10 (Yonhap) -- Japan has not formally requested regular talks regarding South Korea's ban on seafood imports from Japan's Fukushima and neighboring regions, imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The Seoul government has banned seafood imports from Fukushima and seven neighboring prefectures, including Iwate and Miyagi, since September 2013 over concerns about radiation contamination following the 2011 nuclear disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
"The Japanese side has not formally requested the establishment of a new consultative body regarding the resumption of imports (of Japanese seafood)," the ministry said in a statement.
"The government maintains that the import restrictions are measures aimed at protecting the health and safety of the people. Our position is that, before any such measures can be lifted, domestic consumers' confidence in the safety of Japanese seafood must first be restored," it added.
According to a joint survey conducted by South Korean daily Hankook Ilbo and Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, and released Tuesday, 74.9 percent of 1,000 South Korean respondents opposed the resumption of seafood imports from Fukushima and neighboring regions, while 64 percent of 1,040 Japanese respondents supported it.
In 2015, Japan filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenging Seoul's import ban and additional testing requirements. In 2019, the WTO ruled in favor of South Korea, finding that its measures did not constitute unfair trade restrictions or arbitrary discrimination.
Last week, Japan began the 20th round of discharges of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Questions ouvertes
- Will Japan formally request talks regarding the import ban?
- What specific steps would be required to restore South Korean consumers' confidence in Japanese seafood safety?
- What are the long-term implications of Japan's treated wastewater discharge on regional seafood safety and trade relations?
- Will public opinion in either country shift regarding the import ban?
