By Kaori Kaneko and Eduardo Baptista
TOKYO/BEIJING (Reuters) -China informed Japan on Wednesday that it will ban all imports of Japanese seafood, media outlets reported – a decision which comes amid an escalating diplomatic dispute between Asia’s top two economies.
Tensions between the two 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 cancellations that could deal a sizable blow to the world’s fourth-largest economy.
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 nuclear power plant in 2023.
China has told Japan that the re-imposition of the ban was due to the need for further monitoring of the water release, Kyodo news agency reported citing sources.
China’s commerce ministry and customs administration did not immediately respond to Reuters 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, suggesting no breakthrough is imminent.
JAPAN COUNTS THE COSTS
China had said in June that it would resume importing Japanese seafood products from all but 10 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
The re-imposition will 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 re-register for shipments to China, Japanese Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki told reporters on Tuesday. 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 around 7% of Japan’s overall gross domestic product, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, and has been a major driver of growth in recent years. Visitors from mainland China and Hong Kong account for around a fifth of all arrivals, official figures show.
More than 10 Chinese airlines have offered refunds on Japan-bound routes until December 31, with one airline analyst estimating that around 500,000 tickets have already been cancelled.
A person at a state-owned Chinese bank said staff were informally told by managers on Tuesday 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.
ACADEMIC, CULTURAL EXCHANGES CANCELLED
An annual meeting of scholars from both countries due to start in Beijing on Saturday has also been postponed, China’s foreign ministry said.
An event promoting Japan–China friendship scheduled for November 21 in the western Japanese city of Hiroshima has also been cancelled.
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.
“China is like my second homeland to me and all my friends in China are my cherished family — I will always support One China,” Japanese singer MARiA wrote on Weibo on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Kaori Kaneko, Tim Kelly and Katya Golubkova in Tokyo and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Edwina Gibbs)
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