Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan speaks at the Industry Green Development Conference 2023 in Guangzhou on June 1, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - It is absolutely reasonable to implement import control measures for Japanese aquatic products in view of the Japanese government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government official said on Monday.

Tse Chin-wan, secretary for environment and ecology of the HKSAR government, said in his blog that Japan's plan to discharge the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea is unprecedented.

There are reasons to worry about how the Japanese government can ensure the 30-year plan will not go wrong, and the accumulation of radioactive materials in the marine environment will not cause problems, Tse said

There are reasons to worry about how the Japanese government can ensure the 30-year plan will not go wrong, and the accumulation of radioactive materials in the marine environment will not cause problems, he said.

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Japan's plan has caused concerns about the safety of Japanese food imports among the Hong Kong people, while affecting the business of many Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong, he said, adding that tightening control measures for Japanese aquatic products is the bottom line to protect Hong Kong people, and that Hong Kong cannot give up protecting its food safety and public health.

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Japan's unilateral decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea poses a serious risk of food and radioactive contamination. If the Japanese government does not change its mind, Hong Kong has no choice but to adopt corresponding control measures, he said.