BEIJING/HONG KONG: Beijing and Hong Kong plan to expand their import restrictions on Japanese food products following Tokyo’s decision to release treated water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the Pacific as early as Thursday.

Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, will ban imports of fishery products from Fukushima, Tokyo and eight other prefectures from Thursday.

“The discharge will spread the risks of nuclear contamination to the rest of the world,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference Tuesday.

The water from the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. plant in Fukushima is “nuclear-contaminated,” Wang emphasized. “China will take all steps necessary to protect the marine environment, ensure food safety and safeguard people’s life and health.”

On Tuesday, the ministry summoned Japanese Ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi to protest the decision.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said on social media that he has instructed related officials to expand the scope of import restrictions on Japanese fishery products, saying that his government’s top priority is to secure food safety and people’s health.

Macau, also a special administrative region of China, is expected to ban imports of fishery products, fruits and vegetables from Fukushima, Tokyo and eight other prefectures, according to Chinese media reports.

China and Hong Kong restrict imports of food items from Fukushima and elsewhere following the March 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima plant.

Last month, Chinese customs authorities said they would strictly screen all Japanese food products. Since then, customs clearances for such products have been delayed in China.

According to the Chinese authorities, the country’s imports of fishery items from Japan in July dropped some 35 pct from the previous month to 32.38 million dollars.

Also in Hong Kong, customs clearances of Japanese products have been disrupted.

Of Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food items in 2022, 36 pct went to mainland China and Hong Kong in total. China topped the list of Japan’s export destinations for such goods at 278.3 billion yen, followed by Hong Kong at 208.6 billion yen.

JIJI Press