Russia has joined China’s restrictive measures imposed on imports of fish and seafood from Japan following the discharge of handled radioactive water from the Fukushima plant, Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor stated on Monday.
Japan began releasing water from the Fukushima nuclear energy plant into the Pacific Ocean in August and was closely criticized by China, which instantly banned all seafood imports from Japan.
Russia stated the restrictions have been imposed as a “precautionary measure” and can stay in place till complete data is supplied displaying if the seafood is secure.
From January to September 2023, imports of fish and seafood from Japan to Russia totaled 118 tons, Rosselkhoznadzor reported.
China in late August banned all Japanese seafood imports over what it termed the “selfish” and “irresponsible” launch of Fukushima wastewater.
Japan on Aug. 24 started the primary discharge part of handled water from the stricken plant into the Pacific Ocean in an operation it insists is secure. It started the second part on Oct. 5.
But the transfer has sparked a fierce backlash from neighbors, led by the Chinese, who imported greater than $500 million value of seafood from Japan final yr, based on customs knowledge.
In 2011, three reactors on the Fukushima-Daiichi facility in northeastern Japan went into meltdown following an enormous earthquake and tsunami that killed round 18,000 individuals.
The launch of the wastewater has been deemed secure by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
But Beijing says Tokyo has not proved the authenticity and accuracy of the nuclear wastewater knowledge, nor that the ocean discharge of the water is innocent to the marine setting and human well being.
In all, Tokyo intends to discharge into the Pacific Ocean round 540 Olympic swimming swimming pools’ value of heavy water – some 1.3 million cubic meters (mcm) – from Fukushima in a gradual course of lasting into the 2050s, based on the official schedule.
The water has been handled to take away radioactive substances aside from tritium, then diluted with seawater previous to discharge to make sure its radioactivity stage doesn’t surpass 1,500 becquerels per liter – 40 occasions lower than the Japanese norm for this type of operation.
Source: www.dailysabah.com