Hong Kong may relax Japanese seafood ban soon: catering industry leader
Simon Wong says government has paid close attention to Japanese seafood imports which have proved to be safe so far
Hong Kong may soon relax its ban on Japanese seafood imports from 10 prefectures, according to a catering industry leader, but a restaurateur has said the move will not offset the damage from the growing trend of residents spending abroad.
The industry insiders spoke on Monday after the government underscored the need for prudence in allowing Japanese seafood imports without shedding any light on a potential lifting of the ban.
On Sunday, Beijing partially lifted its own ban on such products, which had been put in place over concerns about waste water discharged from the decommissioned Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Hong Kong in 2023 banned imports of seafood from 10 prefectures – Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama. As Beijing’s partial easing of restrictions excludes the 10 prefectures, Hong Kong and mainland China’s bans now cover the same areas.
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China to partially lift ban on Japanese seafood imports from certain regions
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said on Monday that the government had been paying close attention to the food safety of Japanese seafood imports, which had proved to be safe so far.