Japan to support fishery industry, affected by China ban on seafood import

Japan’s prime minister said that his government will support the fishery industry, which has been hit by a Chinese ban on Japanese seafood imports.

Fumio Kishida’s announcement on Saturday came during a visit to a fish market in the city of Iwaki in the Fukushima province to commemorate one year since Tokyo began releasing treated nuclear water.

"The government needs to take all possible measures to mitigate the impact of the import ban that China introduced in response to the water discharge, and that ministers concerned will hold a meeting next week to present the outline," NHK quoted Kishida as saying.

He added that government will take full responsibility for the discharge from a crippled nuclear plant, a process which could take decades to finish.

Saying China’s ban lacks scientific basis, he urged Beijing to scrap the measure.

Japan on Thursday stopped its first attempt to retrieve melted fuel debris at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

It was first time since the 2011 disaster that plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings or TEPCO was set to remove the debris from one of its crippled reactors.

However, the process was halted even before an attempt was made due to “issues discovered during preparations.”

Kishida said the government takes the situation seriously, and that it will urge the utility to take responsible measures.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged when a magnitude 9 earthquake, followed by a tsunami, struck Japan in 2011.