US Military Starts Bulk Buying Japanese Seafood Banned by China

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel speaks during an interview with Reuters at the ambassador's residence in Tokyo, Japan, October 30, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato. Photo: REUTERS/Issei Kato

On Oct. 30, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanual announced in an interview with Reuters reporters that the US military had started bulk buying Japanese seafood products banned by China. 

According to Ambassador Emanuel, the purchased seafood would be supplied to the 17 US military’s local bases in Japan. The Japanese seafood, according to Ambassador Emanuel “will be stored on US naval ships when the sailors go out, and they will also be available on farmers’ market.”

The recent disputes on Japanese seafood are traced back to the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. While according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the radiation is “below public health concern,” many Chinese media continued to allege that the radiation would contaminate nearby seawater and seafood products originating there. China, once the biggest importer of Japanese seafood, banned Japanese seafood products in August 2023. Japanese seafood imports into China have declined 67.6% since the ban.

The US, on the other hand, is more receptive to Japanese seafood products. In August 2023, Ambassador Emanuel visited Fukushima and publicly ate Fukushima seafood to show his support for the Japanese seafood industry. During his visit, he criticized that “the China ban is political,” and an end to the ban “depends on whether China wants to be a good neighbor.”

On August 31, during his visit to Fukushima, Rahm Emanuel shopped for seafood at a local grocery store. Later that day, he enjoyed local seafood with the mayor of Soma City in Fukushima at lunchtime.  Photo: US Embassy via AP

In the recent interview, Ambassador Emanuel called China’s embargo of Japanese seafood “economic coercion.” The military’s decision this time, he clarified, was not a one-time solution to the Chinese embargo but rather “to come to the aid and assistance of the targeted country (Japan) or industry.”

Such statements on China’s trade policies added to the prior controversies that Ambassador Emanuel was considered “hawkish” in US foreign policy. In response, he said that he considered his statements to be realistic. 

“Maybe the honesty is painful, but it’s honest,” stressed Emanuel. “I’m all for stability, understanding. That doesn’t mean you’re not honest. They’re not contradictory. One of the ways you establish stability is that you’re able to be honest with each other.”

Emanuel’s announcement has stirred reactions from China. At a press conference on October 30, Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, remarked that “it is completely legitimate, reasonable and necessary for all countries, including China, to take corresponding preventive and response measures to safeguard food safety and public health.” Specifically on the role of Ambassador Emanuel, Wang suggested that “the duty of diplomats is to promote friendship between countries, not to discredit other countries and stir up trouble.”