US shamefully politicizes righteous seafood ban

This is an editorial from China Daily.

The US ambassador to Japan lambasted China for imposing a ban on imports of Japanese seafood on Thursday. If his remarks really represent the views of the US government, Washington is shamelessly going too far in endorsing its ally's irresponsible move to start discharging nuclear-contaminated water from the tsunami-destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean on Aug 24.

Visiting Soma in Fukushima Prefecture, seven days after the water release started, the US ambassador to the country, Rahm Emanuel, had a seafood lunch with the Soma mayor. He also talked to fishermen and stocked up on local produce to show they are safe.

Calling China's ban "political" in nature, Emanuel praised Japan's water release plan as "scientifically based" and "fully transparent", which he said "stands in total contrast" to how China handled the novel coronavirus pandemic.

That is a blatant contradiction of the facts. The US diplomat has flipped the two around. He has gone too far with his remarks. China's banning of seafood imports from Japan is to protect the Chinese people's health and it is its domestic affair. It does not affect the US' national interests or threaten its national security.

Japan certainly has every right to appeal to the World Trade Organization to settle the trade dispute and protect its fishing communities' interests if it thinks China's ban is problematic. Although it is telling that the Fumio Kishida government allocated 80 billion yen ($550 million) to support the country's fisheries and seafood processing industry and combat potential damage to the reputation of Japanese products long before China's ban, and has pledged that the compensation will continue to be paid until the water discharge ends.

That clearly shows the Kishida government is as well aware as those countries opposing its move, including China, that the environmental impacts are real and may have substantial accumulative effects. Japanese fishers also know that well. No wonder around 100 fishers and locals living near Fukushima are due to file a lawsuit this week seeking to stop the water release.

The Kishida government knows that it is almost impossible for the WTO, except with the help of the US, to rule China's ban illegal, as even the International Atomic Energy Agency admits its report does not equate to endorsement of the discharge plan. The world nuclear energy watchdog also said that it is not responsible for the safety of the practice.

Shame on Emanuel for comparing Japan's opaque handling of the toxic water with China's resolute fight against the novel coronavirus. The former is questioned and opposed by the Japanese people and most countries, the latter was supported by the Chinese people and praised by most countries.