China says it has agreed with Japan to gradually resume Japanese seafood imports. The country suspended such imports last August after Japan began releasing treated and diluted water that was accumulating at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday that the two countries reached an agreement on four points regarding the water discharge.
The agreement says that, “Given the concerns of China and all other stakeholders, Japan welcomes the establishment of a long-term international monitoring agreement within the International Atomic Energy Agency framework.”
It also says the participating countries in the arrangement can carry out independent sampling and monitoring as well as inter-laboratory comparisons.
The agreement says China will gradually resume imports of Japanese aquatic products that meet regulation requirements and standards.
The Chinese government has consistently called treated and diluted water “nuclear-contaminated water” and justified the import suspension as a way to protect people’s health.
Japan has argued that China’s response lacks a scientific basis, and requested the suspension to be lifted immediately. The two governments have been holding consultations on the issue.