Japan began releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, a controversial move that has sparked fierce international backlash, including from China, which responded by promptly issuing a blanket ban on all fish and aquatic products from Japan.
China is "highly concerned about the risk of radioactive contamination" brought by Japan's food and agricultural products, China's customs bureau said in a statement Thursday.
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Release of the wastewater began at 1:03 p.m. local time, according to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company, which said it had not identified any abnormalities.
It comes two years after the Japanese government approved plans in 2021 to begin gradually releasing the treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean following the removal of most radioactive elements, barring tritium.
The treated water has been stored in around 1,000 tanks at the site but are roughly 98% full, prompting calls within Japan for its release so long as the contaminated water is diluted with seawater.
The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog signed off on the plan last month, which involves roughly 1 million tons of diluted water released into the Pacific over the next 30 years.
Though the water is radioactive, the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded in its report in July that the radioactivity levels were so low as to not have any negative health or environmental effects and found them to be consistent under international safety standards.
On Thursday, China reiterated its strong opposition to the plan, saying in a statement that the Japanese government has not yet proved that the discharged water is safe for consumption.
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"The Japanese side should not cause secondary harm to the local people and even the people of the world out of its own selfish interests," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The decision will surely be condemned by the international community for a long time," it added.