China to suspend imports of Japanese seafood amid diplomatic row: Reports

As a diplomatic row between the two nations grows, China will once more forbid the importation of Japanese seafood, according to Japanese media reports.

Following Beijing’s lifting of import restrictions on Japanese marine products earlier this month, which were lifted by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News Agency, were the seafood ban, according to NHK and Kyodo News Agency on Wednesday.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Kyodo News claimed that China had informed Japan that the ban had been lifted because there had to be more closely monitoring of the water entering the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima.

However, the ban comes as Beijing and Tokyo’s relations between Sanae Takaichi’s remarks grow deeper. One of the few instances in which Japan could retaliate militarily against Taiwan, the premier claimed in a statement released on November 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan was one of the few that could lead to a military response from Tokyo.

The comments made by Takaichi were met with widespread criticism from Chinese authorities and state media, which prompted Japan to enjoin its citizens in China to take precautions and avoid crowded locations.

The Chinese consular general in Osaka, Xue Jian, threatened to “cut off that dirty neck,” according to an article on X that Takaichi made after Takaichi made the comments. Over the now-deleted social media post, Tokyo claimed to have called in the Chinese ambassador.

Tokyo said her remarks were in line with the government’s position, but Beijing also advised Chinese citizens to avoid visiting Japan.

Masaaki Kanai, Japan’s top official in charge of the Asia-Pacific region, and Liu Jinsong, his Chinese counterpart, held talks in Beijing on Tuesday to resolve the conflict.

According to Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “China once again lodged a strong protest against Japan” over “Takaichi’s erroneous remarks.”

Mao said that Takaichi’s fallacies “seriously violate international law and the fundamental standards governing international relations,” adding that the comments “fundamentally damage” China-Japan relations’ political foundation.

Very unhappy, I guess.

Despite Takaichi’s remarks, Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, a reporter from Beijing, claimed that Tokyo intended to de-escalate tensions and show to China that Japan’s position on independent-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims is its own territory, has not changed.

“It seems like there were no specific outcomes, but what we saw is some footage that shows these two diplomats interacting briefly, and I think it really speaks for itself. Both of these diplomats speak very cold English, Yu said.

According to Yu, Liu Jinsong “had his hands in his pockets and refused to shake hands with the senior Japanese diplomat,” adding that the Chinese official later admitted to being “very unhappy” with the meeting.

On Tuesday, Liu Jinsong, the director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met with Masaaki Kanai, the director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.

Masaaki Kanai left the Chinese… picture after the meeting. twitter.com/rdAy2YJruQ

Prior to the most recent seafood ban, China, according to official data, made up more than one-fifth of Japan’s seafood exports.

Other China-Japan relations have been suffocated by the conflict, with China Film News, whose state-backed China Film Administration oversees the country’s film industry, announcing that the release of two imported Japanese films would be delayed as a result.