China Eases Ban on Japanese Seafood

China has recently announced a partial lifting of its ban on seafood imports from Japan. This ban was initially imposed two years ago due to concerns over the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

According to China's General Administration of Customs, the decision to 'conditionally resume' imports comes after long-term monitoring of the nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima showed no abnormalities. However, the ban remains in place for 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures, including Tokyo and Fukushima.

Japan has welcomed this decision as a 'positive' move, though it continues to urge China to accept seafood imports from all of its regions. Prior to the ban, China was Japan's largest seafood buyer, accounting for nearly a quarter of its exports. The partial lifting of the ban is seen as a step towards normalizing trade relations between the two countries in this sector.