Japan has resumed scallop exports to China, marking the first shipment since Beijing's ban in August 2023. Fisheries Minister Norikazu Suzuki announced the development on Friday. The move follows a May agreement between the Japanese and Chinese governments on export procedures.
Japan's government has resumed exports of scallops to China, the first shipment since Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings released treated water from the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea. Beijing imposed a full ban on Japanese fishery products in August 2023.
Fisheries Minister Norikazu Suzuki announced at a Friday press conference that about 6 tons of frozen Japanese scallops have been shipped to the Chinese market. Frozen scallops from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost prefecture, were sent to China on Wednesday. Additionally, about 600 kilograms of salted sea cucumbers from Aomori Prefecture are scheduled for delivery on Monday.
The resumption stems from an agreement announced in May between the Japanese and Chinese governments on procedures for restarting exports. However, regarding the registration of facilities required for exports, Suzuki said, "We need to urge the Chinese side to promptly reregister the remaining facilities," noting that only three of 697 applications have been approved.
In 2022, before the release of tritium-containing treated water, scallops accounted for about half of Japan's total export value of edible fishery products to China. Japan has shifted scallop exports to other destinations but still hopes for a recovery in shipments to China.
China continues to restrict imports of fishery products from 10 prefectures, including Fukushima, and bans beef imports from Japan. "We will urge [China] to respond based on scientific grounds," Suzuki emphasized.