Japan Pressures South Korea to Lift Seafood Import Ban on Fukushima Products

Photo by Yonhap News

Japan's government has renewed its demand for South Korea to lift its import ban on Japanese seafood, which has been in place since the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This request comes as Japan seeks to leverage improving relations with South Korea to establish a working-level dialogue, although public sentiment in South Korea and existing safety regulations make the actual resumption of imports uncertain.

According to Kyodo News on June 8, the Japanese government has asked South Korea to create a regular consultation body to discuss the lifting of the seafood import restrictions. It is suggested that Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries would represent Japan, while South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety would likely take the lead on its side.

However, this request does not confirm the start of negotiations for resuming imports. Kyodo News reported that the South Korean government has not provided a clear response to Japan's request for consultations, indicating that the realization of import resumption remains uncertain.

Since the Fukushima disaster in 2011, South Korea has strengthened its radiation safety management for Japanese food products. Currently, all seafood produced in eight prefectures—Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Ibaraki, and Chiba—are banned from import. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has stated that it conducts radiation testing on all Japanese food products with each import.

The backdrop to Japan's renewed request for a consultation body is the recent trend toward improved Korea-Japan relations. Kyodo News explained that Japan aims to alleviate concerns in South Korea regarding seafood from near Fukushima and create a favorable environment for resuming imports. Additionally, the issue of lifting seafood import restrictions could serve as a bargaining chip for Japan in negotiations related to South Korea's bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

However, the South Korean government is unlikely to lift the restrictions in the short term. In a 2019 World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute, South Korea successfully maintained its existing import ban and inspection requirements against Japan's complaint. The WTO's dispute resolution body adopted a report from the appellate body that overturned key judgments made by the initial panel that had favored Japan.

* This article has been translated by AI.

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