TOKYO: Tokyo is mulling the possibility of filing a lawsuit with the World Trade Organisation and developing other measures in response to the seafood import ban China imposed on Japan after it decided to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, reported Sputnik.
The Kyodo news agency reported, citing Japanese Minister of State for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi, that the Japanese government plans to fill the lawsuit in the event other diplomatic prospects prove ineffective.
Earlier in the day, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said that Tokyo was determined to review all possible options to protect the interests of Japanese businesses in the light of the imposed ban.
On August 24, Japan started dumping the treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, having diluted it with sea water in advance. In response, the Chinese customs authorities announced the suspension of all seafood imports from Japan.
Japan’s decision to discharge treated nuclear-tainted water into the Pacific Ocean has faced criticism from China that fears radioactive contamination. Beijing has strongly opposed the water release and demanded that Japan stop this “wrongdoing.” Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said that the treated wastewater would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment. -Bernama
