Japan to allocate extra US$137 mln to fishermen amid China's seafood ban

TOKYO - The Japanese government intends to allocate an additional 20 billion yen (US$136.8 million) to support fishermen and fisheries after China imposed an import ban on Japanese seafood over the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) into the ocean, Sputnik quoted Japanese media reports on Saturday.

Prior to the water release, the government announced measures to support the fishing industry in the event of reputational damage worth 80 billion yen.

The new measures will aim to mitigate the damage from the ban, mainly the purchase and storage of scallop, the fishery of which is particularly dependent on exports to China, the news agency reported.

In addition, the government will re-equip domestic processing plants and instruct the Japan External Trade Organisation to find new markets, the report said.

On Aug 24, Japan began dumping treated wastewater from the Fukushima NPP into the Pacific Ocean, despite strong opposition from other countries in the region. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment. - BERNAMA-SPUTNIK