Russian watchdog restricts Japanese fish imports from Oct 16

MOSCOW. Oct 16 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has joined China's restrictions on Japanese fish imports from October 16, the watchdog said in a statement.

"Restrictions will remain in effect until comprehensive information is provided to confirm the safety of seafood and compliance with Eurasian Economic Union requirements, and to ensure analysis by Rosselkhoznadzor specialists," the statement said.

The regulator said earlier that it was considering restrictions to contain the radiation risk posed by water discharge from the Fukushima 1 NPP reactors' cooling ponds.

Russian imports of Japanese fish are insignificant, Rosselkhoznadzor said. Imports stood at 190 tonnes in 2022, versus 118 tonnes imported as of September 22, 2023. At the same time, Russian ships harvest significant amounts of fish in the area bordering Japanese waters, Rosselkhoznadzor said.

As reported, Japan began discharging water used to cool the reactors of Fukushima 1, damaged by a tsunami in 2011, on August 24.

An earthquake that occurred off the northeastern coast of Japan in March 2011 caused the tsunami and the Fukushima 1 incident, the largest nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.