Economy

Japan’s Fishery Exports to China Plunge 99.3 Pct in Sept.

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
International Atomic Energy Agency officials check fish caught for inspection in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on October 19.

Jiji Press

16:29 JST, October 27, 2023

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japan’s exports of fishery products to mainland China in September tumbled 99.3 pct from a year earlier to ¥58.68 million, the Finance Ministry said Friday.

The plunge apparently reflected a blanket ban China imposed on Japanese aquatic products immediately after the start in late August of the discharge of treated water containing radioactive tritium into the ocean from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s meltdown-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan.

The value of exports of scallops, which had been the main item of Japan’s fishery exports to China, was zero in September.

Of the total exports in the month, live carp for ornamental purposes accounted for ¥55.45 million, with the rest being canned and other processed products.

Japan’s exports of fishery products to Hong Kong, which has imposed partial restrictions on imports from Japan, went down 8.6 pct to ¥3,717.42 million.