Japan says may take China to WTO over Fukushima-driven seafood import ban

On Tuesday, Japan issued a stern warning of potentially resorting to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge China's prohibition on its seafood imports. This move was prompted by China's imposition of a ban on all Japanese seafood following the discharge of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi conveyed to reporters that Japan stood prepared to take "appropriate measures, including recourse to the WTO framework" to address China's ban on aquatic products.

Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi noted separately that pursuing a formal complaint with the WTO could be considered if diplomatic channels fail to yield results in engaging with China on this matter.

Against this backdrop, a significant number of Japanese businesses and public establishments experienced persistent nuisance calls emanating from phone numbers displaying the Chinese country code (+86). Many of these calls involved complaints regarding the Fukushima water discharge.

According to Jiji News, Japan's National Police Agency received a total of 225 reports concerning harassment calls. In response, the government sought assistance from telecommunications companies to thwart these unwarranted communications.

As a result of this situation, more landline phone users are now requesting to block international numbers. Major telecommunications companies such as NTT Communications, KDDI, and SoftBank Corp are actively discussing measures in response to the government's request.

NTT East, which serves the eastern region of Japan including Fukushima, responded by establishing a dedicated customer service center on Tuesday to handle overseas harassment calls, in alignment with the government's appeal.

Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura expressed deep concern over the escalating volume of harassment calls that appear to originate from China. In a press conference, Nishimura emphasized the urgency of the situation, as some of these calls were reported to have targeted hospitals, potentially endangering human lives.

Nishimura also acknowledged reports of potential boycott movements against Japanese products within China and assured that the government was actively collecting information on this matter. He pledged collaboration with business leaders to effectively address this evolving situation.