Hong Kong authorities will seek further information from both Tokyo and Beijing to explore the possibility of easing the current restrictions on seafood imports from 10 Japanese prefectures. This comes after the central government announced plans to “gradually” lift its ban on Japanese seafood imports, which had been imposed in response to the discharge of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The Environment and Ecology Bureau of Hong Kong emphasized that any relaxation of restrictions will be based on scientific evidence and food safety assurances. The Hong Kong government remains concerned about the long-term effects of the wastewater release, which is projected to continue for 30 years and involve over 1.3 million tonnes of waste water.

Beijing’s recent decision to resume seafood imports follows rounds of negotiations between China and Japan.