Seafood products face ban if Japan proceeds with wastewater plan: HK environment chief

He also said the government will ban aquatic products from other Japanese prefectures which are at risk unless they are accompanied by radiation certificates.

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Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan speaks at the Industry Green Development Conference 2023 in Guangzhou on June 1, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

June 30, 2023

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will impose stringent control measures on seafood products from Japan if Tokyo proceeds with its plan to discharge wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power station, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said Wednesday.

Responding to questions from legislator Joephy Chan Wing-yan at the Legislative Council, Tse said the government has indicated clearly to the Japanese authorities that they should not discharge the wastewater from the power station without the consensus of the international community.

“Once the discharge has commenced, the HKSAR government will immediately take stringent import control measures, including prohibiting the import of aquatic products from the highest-risk coastal prefectures in proximity to Fukushima,” Tse said.

Since mid-April, the Centre for Food Safety has gradually stepped up radiological tests on imported Japanese food products, especially those on aquatic products and specified radionuclides, Tse said

He said the government will also ban aquatic products from other Japanese prefectures which are at risk unless they are accompanied by radiation certificates. Japanese products that have these certificates will undergo enhanced testing arrangements.

Since mid-April, the Centre for Food Safety has gradually stepped up radiological tests on imported Japanese food products, especially those on aquatic products and specified radionuclides, Tse said.

Since mid-June, the CFS has also expanded the scope of testing to cover all Japanese aquatic products, and stepped up radiological tests on other processed food imported from Japan, he added.

The environment chief noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency Task Force is now examining whether the discharge plan meets its safety standards, and the impact on human health and the ecosystem.

He said the HKSAR government will take into full consideration the conclusion of the agency’s final report, the opinions of Chinese mainland experts, the mainland and neighboring regions’ practices and assessments, relevant information provided by Japan amd those available in the international community, before making a decision.

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