Hong Kong will ban imports of aquatic products from 10 areas of Japan from Thursday, after Tokyo said it would start releasing wastewater from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Chief Executive John Lee condemned Japan's planned move, describing it as "irresponsible".

Environment minister Tse Chin-wan said the administration is taking a relatively conservative approach with the imports ban, limiting it to what he called high-risk coastal prefectures, as well as neighbouring areas.

The 10 prefectures involved are Fukushima, Tokyo, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama.

The ban covers all live, chilled, frozen and dried sea products, sea salt and seaweed.

Tse said the government has been communicating with the restaurant trade and food import businesses and will continue to do so.

"The best way to help the restaurants is to ensure all the food sold in Hong Kong is safe, so that people in Hong Kong will have confidence in sponsoring those restaurants in Hong Kong," he said.

Tse added that there isn't a timetable for lifting the ban.

"It depends on the data and information we can collect, as well as that provided by the Japanese government after their discharge, including the radioactive levels, and also monitoring and management system of the Japanese government on how to ensure the system will operate smoothly and effectively."

The administration will also publish data every working day on radiation levels of Japanese food import samples, Hong Kong waters and local catches, Tse noted.

In a Facebook post, Lee expressed strong opposition to the discharge plan.

"It disregards the risks to food safety and the irreversible pollution and damage to the ocean ecology, and is an irresponsible way of pushing one's problems onto others," the CE said.

"I express my strong objections," he added.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbei said mainland authorities would take "necessary measures to safeguard the marine environment, food safety and public health".

China also summoned the Japanese ambassador to voice its opposition to the move.

"Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summoned Japan's Ambassador to China, Hideo Tarumi, to make solemn representations regarding the Japanese government's announcement that it would initiate the discharge of Fukushima's nuclear-contaminated water into the sea," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Japan says the gradual release into the sea of more than 500 Olympic swimming pools' worth of diluted wastewater – 12 years after the Fukushima disaster – is safe. This view is backed by the UN atomic agency, but disputed by China.

Hong Kong businesses, meanwhile, are bracing themselves for the fallout of Tokyo's decision.

A restaurateur, surnamed Lam, who owns six eateries in the city, told RTHK business could drop by as much as 30 percent.

Lam said he's making plans to change where he imports food from. "And as part of our measures, we are considering changes to our menu, introducing alternative options such as chicken and pork dishes," he added. (Additional reporting by AFP)
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Last updated: 2023-08-22 HKT 22:33