SAPPORO, Japan — Fishing companies on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido are cheering China's decision to lift a ban on Japanese seafood imports, but many are skeptical of how soon Beijing will restore those imports. In response, they plan to continue diversifying their markets into the US, Southeast Asia and other regions.
Beijing imposed the ban in August 2023 in response to the release of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which collapsed after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Last month, China and Japan agreed on the discharge of treated radioactive water, with Beijing agreeing to gradually resume seafood imports from Japan.