The row over the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant has been raging in Asia for months now, and it has become a complex mix of legitimate concern and disinformation.

The vast majority of scientific experts, including the UN’s nuclear watchdog, have said the release is safe, indeed the levels of radioactive ‘tritium’ that remain in the water are far below the levels dictated by international rules.

But as the head of Japan’s fisheries put it when he met with Prime Minister Kishida yesterday, “scientific safety” does not account for “reputational damage.”

And that reputational damage is already having a huge impact on local communities around the Fukushima area and on Japan’s relations with its neighbours.

China, for one, is particularly opposed.

A foreign ministry spokesperson today described it as “selfishness and irresponsible” and it has banned all fish and seafood imports from 10 Japanese prefectures – including Fukushima and Tokyo.

While political opportunism may be hardening the line (China may want to further promote its own domestic fisheries), it is certainly not alone in its scepticism.

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There have been significant protests in South Korea over the issue, the government there, while saying it sees no problem with the technical aspects of the release, has also banned seafood imports from Fukushima.

Many of the Pacific Islands are also opposed, while Hong Kong, another key market for Japan’s fisheries, has moved to impose bans too.

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It all amounts to a crisis for fishing communities in Fukushima who have already had their livelihoods destroyed once before.

The tourist businesses in the area are suffering too.

Japan’s government has legitimate questions to answer here, perhaps not in terms of the water release safety itself, but certainly in terms of the public relations campaign.

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