On August 24, 2023, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan began to discharge the water it had been holding since 2011 into the Pacific Ocean. The reason why the nuclear power plant is so much talked about is that the water was actually mixed with the water of the plant after the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, when many reactors melted down and the tsunami water mixed with the water of the plant.
According to a statement from Japan, the water discharged into the ocean was rendered harmless by a special purification program called “Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)”. In addition, the Japanese authorities underlined that the discharge was carefully controlled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)[1].
When Japan announced the decision to the global public, protests were organized in many countries, particularly in China and South Korea, and pressure was put on Tokyo. However, at this point, Japan has not reversed its decision and the discharge of water from the plant started on August 24, 2023.
Shortly after the discharge of water into the ocean began, China imposed a ban on all Japanese seafood[2]. By August 25, 2023, Russia was considering increasing its seafood exports to China[3]. Thus, the escalating tension between Japan and China has enabled Russia to increase its seafood imports to China.
Considering that Japan is China’s largest partner in seafood trade, the seriousness of the rising tension between Beijing and Tokyo is evident. In fact, the value of seafood imported by China from Japan in 2022 increased by 35% compared to the previous year and reached 19.15 billion dollars[4]. However, the high trade volume was replaced by tensions between the two capitals due to the ban on seafood imports following Japan’s statements.
On August 28, 2023, China’s Ambassador to Tokyo, Wu Jianhao, was summoned to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to statements made by Beijing. During his meeting with Ambassador Wu, Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano pointed out that China urgently needs to stop misinforming its people and unnecessarily raising concerns over unscientific claims[5].
As Japan-China tensions continued, Seoul announced on August 28, 2023 that tritium castration in ocean water was well below the limit after Japan discharged water from 2011 into the ocean[6]. In addition, according to the statement made by the South Korean President’s Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had a seafood lunch on August 28, 2023 in order to alleviate public concerns about seafood[7]. As it can be seen, although South Korean authorities’ confidence in seafood after the release of nuclear water is in place, this has not been manifested in public opinion.
As a result, the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant’s water evacuation, which began on August 24, 2023, brought the long-standing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo to the surface once again. Despite the huge volume of bilateral trade, China’s suspension of seafood trade with Japan can be read as a sign that Beijing is no longer willing to turn a blind eye to Japanese and Western pressure. Russia and South Korea’s stance, on the other hand, could be interpreted as a sign that the situation is likely to take a political turn.
[1] “Japan: IAEA Monitoring Treated Water Release from Fukushima Nuclear Plant”, UN News, news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1140037, (Date of Accession: 28.08.2023).
[2] “China Bans Japanese Seafood Over Fukushima Nuclear Waste Water Release” SCMP, www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3232146/china-bans-japanese-seafood-over-fukushima-nuclear-waste-water-release, (Date of Accession: 24.08.2023).
[3] “Russia Hopes to Raise Fish, Seafood Exports to China After Japan Ban”, Reuters, www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/russia-hopes-raise-fish-seafood-exports-china-after-japan-ban-2023-08-26/, (Date of Accession: 26.08.2023).
[4] 王骁锦, “China Bans Seafood Imports from Japan | China Seafood Analysis | Seafood Import Export”, Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/pulse/china-bans-seafood-imports-from-japan-analysis-import-骁锦-王/, (Date of Accession: 28.08.2023).
[5] “Japan Summons China Ambassador Over Fukushima Crank Calls” VoA, https://t.ly/cIBP_, (Date of Accession: 28.08.2023).
[6] “South Korea: Amount of Tritium in Ocean After Fukushima Water Release Below Limit”, New Straits Times, www.nst.com.my/world/world/2023/08/948247/south-korea-amount-tritium-ocean-after-fukushima-water-release-below, (Date of Accession: 28.08.2023).
[7] “S. Korea President Eats Seafood Lunch Amid Concern Over Japan Water Release”, Reuters, www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-president-eats-seafood-lunch-amid-concern-over-japan-water-release-2023-08-28/, (Date of Accession: 28.08.2023).
