China today informed Japan that it would ban all imports of Japanese seafood, media outlets reported — a decision that comes amid an escalating diplomatic dispute between the two nations.
Tensions between the countries ignited after new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.
China has demanded she retract the remarks and urged its citizens not to travel to Japan, resulting in mass cancelations that could deal a sizable blow to the economy.
Photo: Reuters
The latest pain point for Japan comes after Beijing just months ago partially eased restrictions on Japanese seafood that had been imposed due to Tokyo's decision to release treated wastewater from its Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in 2023.
China has told Japan that the reimposition of the ban was due to the need for further monitoring of the water release, Kyodo news agency reported, citing sources.
China's Ministry of Commerce and Customs Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Representatives for Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries were not immediately available for comment.
Facing a wave of vitriolic responses by a Chinese diplomat in Japan and Chinese state media aimed at Takaichi, Japan warned its citizens in China on Monday to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places.
Tokyo has said Takaichi's remarks in parliament are in line with the government's position.
China had said in June that it would resume importing Japanese seafood products from all but 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures.
The reimposition would be a painful blow for many companies eager to re-enter a market that previously accounted for more than a fifth of all Japan's seafood exports.
Nearly 700 Japanese exporters had applied to reregister for shipments to China, Japanese Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki told reporters yesterday.
However, only three had been approved to date.
Before the 2023 ban, China was Japan's top scallop buyer and a major importer of sea cucumbers.
More immediately, China's travel boycott could have far-reaching consequences for Japan's shaky economy.
Tourism accounts for about 7 percent of Japan's overall GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, and has been a major driver of growth in recent years.
Visitors from China and Hong Kong account for about a fifth of all arrivals, official figures show.
More than 10 Chinese airlines have offered refunds on Japan-bound routes until Dec. 31, with one airline analyst estimating that about 500,000 tickets have already been canceled.
A person at a state-owned Chinese bank said staff were informally told by managers yesterday that requests to travel to Japan would not be approved for the time being.
The person declined to be named due to sensitivity of the matter.
An annual meeting of academics from both countries due to start in Beijing on Saturday has also been postponed, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
An event promoting Japan–China friendship scheduled for Friday in Hiroshima has also been canceled.
China has suspended the screenings of upcoming Japanese films, and Japanese celebrities popular there have tried to pre-empt any potential backlash with messages showing their support for China.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS