Fish market in Japan. (Photo Copyright: FIS)
Tokyo asks WTO to contest South Korea's fish ban
(JAPAN, 10/10/2013)
Japan has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to intercede regarding the fish ban imposed by South Korea on fish products off the coasts of Fukushima nuclear plant.
Fearing a potential radioactive contamination, South Korea is restricting all imports of any marine produce from that region with a set of rules and regulations currently in place. In an attempt to put an end to this situation, Tokyo has requested the WTO’s food safety panel to give its point of view regarding Seoul’s atomic fish ban on Fukushima fish.
After the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant admitted the escape of 300 tonnes of contaminated water in the Pacific Ocean, the South Korean government extended the imposed ban last month and widened the fishery products from seven prefectures in Japan: Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Iwate, Tochigi, Chiba and Aomori.
The South Korean authorities dismissed the Japanese government's claims that fish these waters is safe for human consumption.
The Fukushima plant, located 230 km from Tokyo and victim of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, was the site of one of the most dramatic environmental accidents in recent years, when three reactor cooling systems melted down, causing a radioactive leak of massive proportions. The plant has had several water leaks in the past few months.
Relations between the two countries are already on the rocks over the sovereignty of a couple of islands currently in dispute.
Although the WTO panel has no power to order a compulsory measure, an official at Japan's Fisheries Agency told AFP that they would prefer Seoul to voluntarily repeal the ban. He explained that it could take years to agree on a formal complaint at this international organization.
"We will explain in the committee that Japanese aquatic products are under strict safety controls based on international standards and that the South Korean ban lacks a scientific basis," the fisheries agency official pointed out.
The decision to go to the WTO committee was adopted after the failure of the request to South Korea to lift the ban.
Related articles:
- Government to request South Korea to lift import ban
- Japanese fish imports banned amid concerns over radioactivity
By Gabriela Raffaele
[email protected]
www.seafood.media
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