Hong Kong to Impose Import Restrictions on Japanese Seafood

Hong Kong is set to impose import restrictions on seafood from Japan in response to the Japanese government's plan to discharge Fukushima nuclear sewage, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced, according to an unofficial translation. Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee Kar-chiu made the move in response to the Japanese government's 30-year plan to release sewage discharge from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which was flooded and destroyed by a tsunami in 2011, into the Pacific Ocean. "If there is any problem with the discharge of nuclear sewage in Fukushima, the ecological environment and food safety will inevitably be seriously damaged," Hong Kong said.

The government will ban the import of aquatic products from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo and Fukushima, to Hong Kong starting Aug. 24. The products include all live, frozen, refrigerated, dried or otherwise preserved seafood, sea salt and raw or processed seaweed.

The government said it will continue to impose its import controls for certain food products from Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki and Gunma. These restrictions bar imports of all vegetables, fruits, milk, milk drinks and milk powder and were set following the Fukushima nuclear reactor incident in 2011.