The new processing facility, located in Cox’s Bazar, will employ around 500 workers. The plant is expected to process up to 1,000 tonnes of scallops monthly, exporting approximately 200 tonnes of scallop meat to markets in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. This move is part of Japan Delica’s strategy to diversify its seafood export destinations amid China’s recent ban on Japanese marine products following the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Japan Delica, a subsidiary of Japan Food Service Co. based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, aims to achieve annual sales of 8 billion Japanese yen ( which is approximately USD 55.54 million) within three years. This is the first time Japanese scallops, particularly those from Hokkaido and Aomori Prefecture, will be processed in Bangladesh for global distribution.

The Japanese government is also supporting the establishment of new processing facilities for Japanese scallops in countries like Vietnam and Mexico to reduce dependency on the Chinese market. Currently, around 350 Japanese companies operate in Bangladesh, with investments exceeding $380 million.

This development underscores the strengthening economic ties between Japan and Bangladesh, with 85% of Japanese companies in Bangladesh advocating for an economic partnership agreement (EPA) to further enhance trade and investment. Bangladesh’s exports to Japan, including fish, leather goods, and readymade garments, were valued at $1.9 billion in the fiscal year 2022-23. The consistent growth in exports to Japan highlights the rising standards of Bangladeshi products in global markets.

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In August 2023, Japan started putting some of the Fukushima water that had been piling up at the plant into the Pacific Ocean. They had stored this water since 2011 when a big tsunami damaged the plant. China got angry and banned all Japanese seafood imports, and they kept this ban even though Japan said it was safe.

Russia, who doesn’t have a great relationship with Japan, is thinking about doing the same seafood ban. In the first release, they let out about 7,800 tonnes of water, but there’s still a lot more to go—like filling over 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Japan says they cleaned the water to remove harmful stuff, except for tritium, which is safe in small amounts. The United Nations agrees with Japan on this.

China says Japan is treating the sea like a garbage dump, and they got support from the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands at the United Nations.

The big plan here is to make room for removing the dangerous radioactive materials from the damaged reactors. Japan says they will keep an eye on the tritium levels and share scientific information with the public.

Even though China said no to Japanese seafood, there are reports that Chinese fishing boats are still catching fish in the same areas where Japanese boats work. The US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, shared pictures of Chinese boats doing this.

As Japan moves ahead with its plan to release more Fukushima wastewater, it faces criticism from other countries and a challenge to make sure it’s not harming the environment. This decision will have a lasting impact on Japan’s relations with its neighbors and how it deals with the Fukushima nuclear disaster’s aftermath.

The post Japan is up for releasing second batch of Fukushima nuclear waste water next week appeared first on Seafood Network BD.