Japan has lodged a protest with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in response to China's blanket ban on seafood imports after the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said late Monday.
Hirokazu Matsuno, the Japanese government's top spokesperson, said Tokyo has submitted a document to the WTO protesting Beijing's ban on importing seafood, which China imposed following Japan's release of radioactive water into the sea on Aug. 24, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported on Tuesday.
Earlier, Beijing notified the WTO of its emergency import ban on Thursday, which Matsuno said prompted Japan to lodge its protest.
According to the document, China's import suspension is "totally unacceptable," and Tokyo will continue to ask Beijing to "immediately repeal its measure."
Matsuno said Japan has demanded that China review the import ban in accordance with the rules of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement, to which both Tokyo and Beijing are signatories.
Tokyo began releasing treated nuclear waste from the crippled Fukushima power plant last month, eliciting criticism from neighbors, particularly China.
South Korean opposition parties have also decried Tokyo's release of the nuclear waste, while the government has reaffirmed its commitment to sticking to its original plan of releasing the water.
People in Japan, South Korea and China have stopped eating Japanese seafood, while Tokyo and Seoul have taken measures to assuage their fears, including providing financial support to the fishing industry.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government on Tuesday decided to spend a "record budget this year to prop up consumption of seafood," Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s government will spend an additional 80 billion won (approximately $60.36 million) in reserve funds to "encourage people to have more seafood and to better support the fishing industry."
Although marine products make up less than 1% of Japan's global trade, which is dominated by cars, Japan exported about $600 million worth of aquatic products to China in 2022, making it the biggest market for Japanese exports, followed by Hong Kong.
Data on Tuesday showed China-bound exports of aquatic products fell for the first time in 2.5 years in July, dropping 23% year-over-year to 7.7 billion yen.
Goods bound for China have faced stricter inspections since Japan announced its plan to release the treated Fukushima water, slowing down shipments.
To ease the pain of losing that seafood demand, Japan announced a new package of over $141 million on Monday to support the fishing industry.