Japan Shifts Seafood Processing Hub From China to Vietnam Amidst Fukushima Fallout

Vietnam is expected to replace China as one of the primary processing origins of Japanese seafood to satisfy the U.S. market needs. Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Dec.1 that its scallop processing needs, previously done in China, would be transferred to Vietnam after discussions between the U.S. Embassy in Japan and several Japanese ministries and departments. Other seafood processing opportunities are expected to evolve through cooperation between the three nations. This comes after Beijing banned Japanese seafood products over concerns about “polluted water” discharged by Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in August. Beijing ignored the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) assessment that Japan’s wastewater disposal was safe and meets internationally recognized nuclear safety standards....