Hong Kong Starts Ban on Japanese Seafood

How will Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong survive?

Japan has begun releasing 1.32 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and in response the Hong Kong government has banned seafood imports from 10 prefectures, though four of them are landlocked.

This question was raised by the media in a press conference, but Deputy Secretary for Environment and Ecology Anthony Li explained it was to take a "precautionary and prudent approach to ensure food safety."

Li warns of taking safety precautions

He mentioned the original nuclear disaster caused by an earthquake and tsunami 12 years ago -- so why implement the ban now and not 12 years ago until now?

Meanwhile the IAEA has said the treated water is at a safe standard, but researchers who track the discharge of wastewater believe that other solutions were not considered, including holding the wastewater for a few more decades so that the radioactivity would have been further dissipated by then.

Nevertheless the Hong Kong government is bringing out all its experts to pile on the reasons why residents should not eat Japanese seafood, but hey, by all means you can purchase it in Japan and bring it back for your own consumption! But if you try to sell it, the transaction could be illegal without any law or regulation cited. 

And the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Food) Vivian Lau is unclear when the ban will end.

This is Hong Kong's way of trying to convince the public to boycott Japanese goods, but they love the Land of the Rising Sun too much to do that, particularly young people and gourmets who enjoy the cuisine, cartoons and culture.

But Hong Kong is only following Beijing's lead because up until this point there was no specific directive in stopping people from going to Japan or consuming its products.

Japan has begun releasing wastewater into sea

Hurt the most will be Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, of which there are many, serving ingredients from Japan since it is relatively close by. It's not just exclusively Japanese restaurants, but many Western ones also source ingredients from Japan because of its quality and proximity.

This makes it even harder for these restaurants to stay afloat after barely surviving the Covid-19 pandemic for three years with endless restrictions that were constantly changing.

It will not be surprising to see this sector further decimated in the coming weeks and months...