SAR to study possibly lifting Japanese seafood curbs

Hong Kong's environmental officials on Friday said they would look into the possibility of lifting a ban on Japanese aquatic products, after Beijing agreed to "gradually resume" seafood imports from the country. Since August last year, the SAR government has banned aquatic products from 10 Japanese prefectures near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which began discharging radioactive wastewater into the sea. One year on, the Environment and Ecology Bureau continues to adopt a cautious approach on the matter. "The [bureau] will maintain contact with relevant authorities in the mainland and Japan for more information," it said. "On the premise of ensuring food safety, we will review whether the current precautionary measures can be gradually relaxed according to the scientific evidence available." The bureau acknowledged the Foreign Ministry's announcements to adjust relevant measures and gradually resume imports of Japanese seafood that meet regulatory standards. It said long-term international monitoring will "help manage and lower the risks brought by the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water" in Fukushima, if such arrangements are implemented effectively. The current ban imposed by SAR authorities covers all live, chilled, frozen and dried sea products, sea salt and seaweed. The administration stood firm on the ban as recently as last month, after Japan urged the territory to drop such restrictions. Tetsushi Sakamoto, Japan's minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, had previously called the control measures "not based on scientific evidence". But the Hong Kong government, at the time, argued the "spillover effect" of the ongoing discharge of "nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean" was unprecedented.