The Japan Fisheries Agency (JFA) announced that China will participate in the monitoring of seafood and seawater discharges around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was originally scheduled to take place from October 7th to October 15th.

At the end of September, China and Japan reached an agreement that China would, after effective participation in the long-term international monitoring under the framework of the IAEA and the implementation of monitoring activities such as independent sampling by participating countries, proceed to adjust the relevant measures on the basis of scientific evidence, and gradually resume the import of Japanese seafood products in compliance with the regulations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan noted that the details of China's participation are still being coordinated with the IAEA. In addition to China, teams from South Korea and Switzerland will also join the monitoring effort, during which six different types of seafood from Fukushima's coastal waters will be sampled and analyzed.

The Fisheries Agency has been in charge of seafood sampling and testing since 2015, and after pre-processing with the IAEA, the samples are sent to foreign agencies for independent analysis, with the IAEA issuing the results, the Japanese side said. The seafood monitoring project has produced seven reports, the most recent from 2022, stating that the seafood sampling and analysis methods are appropriate and have demonstrated a high level of precision and proficiency in radiological assessment.