Thai group opposes Fukushima fish imports

According to a report in the The Bangkok Post an environmental action group in Thailand is protesting the import of fish from Japan that was sourced in Fukushima and being served at restaurants in the Thai capital..

The Stop Global Warming group has demanded that the Thai Food and Drug Administration reveal both the name of the importer and the Japanese restaurants serving the imported seafood to make consumers aware about where the Fukushima fish is being served. 

According to a report last week, Thailand made its first import of fish from Fukushima since the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which underwent multiple meltdowns and explosions following massive earthquakes and tsunami that struck the region on March 11 2011. 

Up to 21,000 people lost their lives in the disasters in Japan’s Tohoku region and 160,000 Fukushima residents were evacuated from their homes following a massive release of dangerous radioactive materials from the Fukushima plant.

In the the Japan Times report, the recently imported fish was to be served at a dozen Japanese restaurants in Bangkok. Stop Global Warming is demanding the names of the restaurants be revealed to prevent consumers being put at risk of possible caesium contamination, the Bangkok Post reported. 

Doubts were also expressed that the Thai fisheries department (FDA) had conducted tests on the fish shipment to confirm whether or not it was safe.

According to the FDA the shipment had undergone inspections and diners should not be concerned.

The report comes just a week after South Korea said it will maintain its 7-year restrictions on seafood imports from Japan as it prepared to appeal against a World Trade Organisation ruling vetoing bans on Japanese fisheries products that were introduced following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. 

Since 2011, South Korea has banned 50 types of seafood caught in the waters near the Fukushima plant, though it has continued to import fish from Japan.

What’s more, another 24 nations still have some import restrictions on Japanese seafood products that were implemented as a result of the Fukushima disaster, according to news reports.