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Japan's H1 food exports fall due to China's seafood import restrictions

Japan's exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery items fell 1.8% in the first half of 2024, struck by China's restriction on seafood imports associated with Tokyo Electric Power's water release from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The exports from January to June were 701.3 billion yen ($ 4.7 billion), below 714.4 billion yen a year previously, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) said on Friday.

It marked the first drop considering that 2020, when exports drooped due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an official at the ministry stated.

Tepco started launching dealt with radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear reactor in August last year, triggering China to suspend imports of all seafood of Japanese origin.

Japan's agricultural, forestry, fisheries exports to China plunged 43.8% in the first half of the year to 78.4 billion yen, while those to Hong Kong moved 10.5% to 103.2 billion yen. However exports to other areas rose 14.3%.

In Europe and the U.S., sales to restaurants, retail outlets and e-commerce have been strong, while the depreciation of the yen has also assisted improve the competitiveness of Japanese items overseas, the ministry stated.

The government has actually been promoting the diversification of export locations for scallops and other seafood items by producing commercial channels elsewhere in Asia and in the U.S., however this has actually not completely offset the China effect, the ministry official stated.

Japan's exports of scallops were the hardest-hit by China's. ban, moving 37% year-on-year in the first half of the year.

(source: Reuters)