The Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) of the Hong Kong government has stated that a ban on seafood imports from Japan is necessary, citing concerns over the continued discharge of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The EEB's comments come as Japanese authorities have been repeatedly calling for an end to the ban that has been in place since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. However, the EEB said that in the past year, there have been a total of 7 reported incidents related to the Fukushima plant, with some employees hospitalized due to accidents and the environment also being contaminated.
"The most recent incident occurred two weeks ago, indicating an average frequency of about one incident every two months, which is alarmingly high," the EEB stated.
The bureau stressed that it is necessary for Hong Kong to take pragmatic measures to protect public health and the environment, given the management and monitoring issues at the Fukushima plant and the serious consequences that can result from accidents there.
These measures include restricting the import of seafood and related products from the highest-risk areas around Fukushima, as well as testing imported seafood and related products from other parts of Japan. The EEB added that further measures may be considered if the situation worsens.
"We have a responsibility to our citizens to ensure the safety of the food supply, and the concerning pattern of incidents at Fukushima leaves us no choice but to maintain these import restrictions," a spokesperson for the EEB said.
環境及生態局表示,必須禁止進口日本海產
香港政府環境及生態局(EEB)表示,必須禁止進口日本海產,理由是擔心福島核電廠的處理過的廢水持續排放。
隨著日本當局反復要求取消禁令(自2011年福島核災後一直實施)，EEB表示,在過去一年內共發生7宗與福島核電廠有關的事故,部分員工因事故而住院,環境也受到污染。
「最近一宗事故發生於兩星期前,平均每兩個月就發生一次,頻率驚人。」EEB表示。
該局強調,鑑於福島核電廠的管理和監控問題,以及事故可能造成的嚴重後果,香港有必要採取切實可行的措施來保護公眾健康和環境。
這些措施包括限制從福島周邊最高風險區域進口海產品及相關產品,以及對從日本其他地區進口的海產品進行檢測。EEB又表示,如情況惡化,可能會考慮採取進一步措施加強食品安全保護。
「我們有責任確保市民的食品安全,而福島的事故頻率令人擔憂,因此我們別無選擇,只能維持這些進口限制。」EEB發言人說。
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