Title: U.S. Ambassador to Japan Visits Fukushima Amidst Growing Tensions with China
Date: August 31, 2023
SOMA, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, recently made a visit to the Fukushima region, expressing his support for Japan in the face of China’s ban on Japanese seafood. Emanuel stated that he expected the U.S. to back Japan should the issue escalate into a dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Last Thursday, Japan began releasing treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. In response, China, Japan’s largest trade partner, imposed a ban on Japanese aquatic products. Japanese officials have indicated the possibility of pursuing diplomatic action to urge China to lift the ban, including the filing of a complaint with the WTO.
Emanuel affirmed the U.S.’s readiness to support Japan, mentioning that there is legitimacy to Japan’s case. He highlighted that the support from the U.S. would depend on relevant government agencies and could not be pre-determined.
China’s ban on Japanese seafood has significant economic implications. In 2022, Japan exported approximately $600 million worth of aquatic products to China, making it the largest market for Japanese seafood exports. Hong Kong, the second-largest market, has also announced its ban on seafood imports from 10 Japanese regions since the release of the Fukushima water.
Japan has urgently called for the lifting of China’s ban, expressing concern over the inundation of harassment telephone calls received since the water dumping. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently visited Tokyo’s largest fish market, where he announced that his cabinet would develop measures to support the fishing industry by the following week. The government plans to allocate tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) from this year’s budget reserves to fund these measures, as reported by the Nikkei newspaper.
During his visit to Soma, near the wrecked nuclear plant, Ambassador Emanuel dined with the mayor, Hidekiyo Tachiya, consuming locally caught seafood. He also purchased seafood from a supermarket and sampled Fukushima peaches while engaging with shoppers.
Ambassador Emanuel alerted the public to what he described as “economic coercion” against Japan, emphasizing that the harassment and disinformation tactics were part of China’s political strategies.
As tensions between Japan and China escalate, it remains uncertain how the situation will unfold. The U.S. ambassador’s visit and support for Japan signal the significance of resolving this issue peacefully.
($1 = 146.0200 yen)
Reporting by Chris Gallagher in Soma, Sakura Murakami and Kantaro Komiya in Tokyo; Editing by Stephen Coates, Lincoln Feast, and Michael Perry