Japan has formally requested South Korea lift restrictions on seafood imports from eight prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. The measures, still in place more than a decade later, also require radiation inspection certificates for seafood from an additional eight regions.
The request followed a meeting in Seoul between Japan’s agriculture minister and South Korea’s foreign minister, marking an unusual direct engagement at ministerial level. The discussions came after a trilateral meeting with China and South Korea on agricultural cooperation.
South Korea’s import restrictions were initially introduced over radiation safety concerns, although industry observers suggest protection of domestic fisheries remains a factor. Japan maintains its food safety standards are now fully restored.
Preparations are underway for a visit to Japan by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for talks with the Japanese prime minister. China lifted its own temporary seafood ban, imposed in 2023 amid Japan’s discharge of treated radioactive wastewater, while maintaining some residual import controls.