In response to China’s embargo on Japanese seafood, the US is set to bolster its military’s seafood provisions by procuring substantial quantities of Japanese seafood. This strategic move comes as a response to China’s comprehensive ban on seafood imports from Japan, initiated following the discharge of treated waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
According to a recent Reuters report, the U.S. government is actively exploring methods to mitigate the adverse effects of China’s seafood ban on Japanese seafood. This embargo has had severe repercussions on Japan’s seafood sector, particularly impacting scallop producers. In an effort to assist seafood producers affected by declining exports and prices, TEPCO has pledged to provide compensation.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel revealed that this initiative will involve a long-term partnership between the U.S. armed forces and Japanese fisheries and cooperatives. Furthermore, this action aligns with the Group of Seven (G7) industrial powers’ call for countries to lift restrictions on Japanese aquatic products. Following a trade ministers’ meeting in Osaka-Sakai, Japan, the G7 nations and Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yoko Kamikawa, jointly advocated for a “calm response based on scientific evidence” when it comes to trade bans on Japanese seafood.
Both Japan and the United Nations nuclear watchdog have attested to the complete safety of the water released from the Fukushima nuclear facility. Japanese officials even publicly consumed seafood from the region as a testament to their confidence in the wastewater testing during the Seafood Expo Asia held in Singapore shortly after the ban was announced. Japanese companies expressed their trust in the government and the testing procedures during this event.
As reported by Asahi Shimbun in late September, the U.S. is actively exploring more direct ways to support Japan’s seafood industry, with Emanuel characterizing China’s ban as an act of economic coercion. He emphasized that the most effective strategy in countering China’s economic pressure has been to offer assistance to the targeted country or industry.
Conversely, China has described the G7’s calls for the resumption of trade as “economic coercion.” The initial purchase by the U.S. military, as per Reuters, will consist of just under a metric ton of Hokkaido scallops, which is a far cry from the significant volume of scallops typically exported to China annually from the region. In 2023, Japan’s total scallop exports reached a record high of JPY 91 billion (USD 610 million, EUR 574 million), with 51.3% of that value originating from China.
Hokkaido’s seafood industry has been particularly hard-hit by China’s embargo on Japanese seafood, despite most of its seafood being sourced from areas far north of the wastewater release site. Emanuel has expressed the intention to expand these seafood purchases to encompass various types of seafood from Japan over time, highlighting that the U.S. military had not previously sourced local seafood in Japan. This move underscores the commitment to strengthen the ties between the U.S. and Japan in the face of these economic challenges.
