Hong Kong will work with its catering sector to certify restaurants that offer safe seafood in a bid to boost diners’ confidence amid concerns about Japan’s move to discharge treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

Industry representatives on Wednesday also called for more public education to clear doubts, while Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said authorities would discuss a certification scheme with relevant commerce chambers.

Tse reiterated his assurance to consumers that imported Japanese seafood products would be safe with control measures to be in place from Thursday.

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Hong Kong to ban Japanese seafood from 10 prefectures over Fukushima plan

“The purpose of the ban and the strict radiation tests on Japanese aquatic products is to allay fears and let consumers know that such food imported into Hong Kong is definitely safe,” he told a radio programme. “I think this is the best and most important way to help the industry do business normally.”

Hong Kong will impose an indefinite ban on Japanese seafood imports from 10 prefectures, publishing the results of daily tests on other food from the country starting on Thursday when Tokyo begins discharging treated waste water from the Fukushima plant.

Martin Chan Keung, a member of the board of directors of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said on the same radio show that the certification scheme could “give residents confidence”.

But Chan also called for authorities to provide financial help for the sector as he said it would take at least three to six months for affected eateries to recover from reduced business.

He said sector sales had plunged 30 to 40 per cent since the announcement of Japan’s discharge plan as consumers had lost confidence in imported food from the country.

He urged authorities to step up education for the public to raise awareness among consumers and boost confidence in food safety.

“Only about 10 per cent of imported food is from the 10 prefectures, which will not have a huge impact on the basic operation of our Japanese restaurants. The biggest impact is the public’s confidence in food safety,” Chan said.

Hong Kong experts warn over contamination of Japanese seafood from Fukushima plan

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday slammed Japan for “imposing its problems on others irresponsibly”, while the country’s consul general said it was “extremely regrettable” the city was proceeding with the ban.

Tokyo plans to release 1.32 million metric tonnes, equivalent to 500 Olympic swimming pools, of treated radioactive water over 30 years, sparking concerns about the long-term effects on the ocean food chain.

Hong Kong’s import ban will apply to the prefectures of Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, covering all fresh, frozen, chilled, dried or processed seafood, as well as sea salt and seaweed.

Hong Kong is Japan’s second-largest market for fisheries exports, with mainland China being the largest. In 2022, the city imported Japanese seafood products worth about 75.5 billion yen (US$536 million), accounting for more than 20 per cent of Tokyo’s total marine product exports, government data showed.

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