Advertisement
Japan
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Japan-China relations: as critics cry ‘coercion’ over Fukushima seafood ban, will a WTO complaint do any good?

  • Critics of PM Fumio Kishida say ‘Japan will be seen as easy pickings’ if it fails to stand up to Beijing’s ‘economic coercion’ over the ban
  • But it’s unclear what the outcome of a WTO complaint would be – and Tokyo knows its China relations are ‘critical’, says one economist

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
15
A member of staff sorts seafood at a booth selling products mainly from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures at Toyosu Market, in Tokyo’s Koto district, on Saturday. Photo: TNS
Julian Ryall
Japan’s threat to lodge a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China’s “totally unacceptable” import ban on its seafood is unlikely to do much to resolve a stand-off sparked by the release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, analysts say.

“If Japan does file a complaint with the WTO, the argument is likely to be that the Chinese claim is unsubstantiated as the radioactivity is below internationally accepted levels for contamination,” said Martin Schulz, chief policy economist at Fujitsu’s Global Market Intelligence Unit.

As the case was “more about politics”, he added, “I don’t think the complaint will have a major impact and solutions will be on other levels.”

A sign stating that the sushi for sale was not made from seafood imported from Japan is seen at a Beijing supermarket on August 24. Photo: Kyodo
A sign stating that the sushi for sale was not made from seafood imported from Japan is seen at a Beijing supermarket on August 24. Photo: Kyodo
Schulz said it was unclear whether Japan would win the WTO’s backing in any dispute settlement, which could take years to complete. There were also no guarantees China would comply with a WTO decision, he added, as it had ignored previous rulings such as the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea.
Japan on Monday said new restrictions on its seafood products were “extremely regrettable” and reiterated its demand that Beijing immediately lift the ban. The Japanese foreign ministry said it had requested discussions with China based on the provisions of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

China has described Japan’s plan to gradually release more than 1.25 million tonnes of water from the plant over 30 years as an “irresponsible and selfish act”. On Tuesday, Beijing said the new limits were in accordance with the country’s laws and regulations, as well as WTO guidelines on food safety and other health requirements.

Schulz said China’s strong reaction showed it was under “tremendous pressure in its confrontation with the United States”, as Japan and South Korea have become more aligned with Washington since last month’s trilateral Camp David summit.
Advertisement