Japanese restaurants in Beijing fear ruin
Growing restrictions on imports of Japanese food in China are hitting Japanese restaurants there hard, with some owners reporting customer numbers down by up to 90%. - REUTERS
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00:00 To become a sushi chef like 49-year-old Kazuyuki Tanioka takes years of study and practice.
00:08 Like many of his Japanese compatriots, his knife skill is likely among the best in the
00:13 world.
00:14 But it's the ingredients he's using which could yet bring down the curtain on his 8-year-old
00:19 restaurant in the Chinese capital, Beijing.
00:22 "The hardest thing for us now is that we can't purchase any Japanese seafood at all because
00:28 it's taking so long to clear Chinese customs due to the treated radioactive water release
00:33 issue."
00:34 Like most Japanese restaurants in China, Tanioka's outlet Toya imports fish from Japan.
00:41 But Chinese restrictions on some of those imports are making business harder.
00:45 Shortly after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan,
00:51 Beijing banned food and agricultural products from five Japanese prefectures.
00:56 The ban was later widened and now covers 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures.
01:02 The latest restrictions were brought in as Japan plans to empty into the sea treated
01:07 radioactive water from Fukushima, a move endorsed by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog but
01:13 sharply criticized by China.
01:15 "Since around mid-July, with the planned release of treated radioactive water, the number of
01:21 Chinese customers has slid around 90 percent due to worries about Japanese food ingredients."
01:28 Imports have since all but ground to a halt, with some Japanese officials fearing the worst
01:33 is yet to come.
01:34 While more stringent Chinese checks have led to massive delays at customs, the bigger worry
01:39 is what customers are saying.
01:41 Posts and hashtags on Chinese social media claim Japanese food is radioactive and should
01:46 be boycotted.
01:48 This customer said he was reassured by the steps China had taken, calling it a responsible
01:53 attitude.
01:54 But some say when it comes to Japanese food, there are misconceptions about what is and
01:59 isn't safe.
02:01 67-year-old Japanese restaurant owner Kenji Kobayashi.
02:04 "I don't know about the Fukushima water release in much detail, but if you have a look, you'll
02:10 find other places are doing the same thing, releasing things into nature.
02:13 The fact that the average person just doesn't know this, this is the hardest thing.
02:17 If they knew about it, then they would know they could eat safely."
02:20 Japanese officials have appealed to their Chinese counterparts, especially in their
02:25 second largest market, Hong Kong, to avoid a ban.
02:29 Some importers have meanwhile said they're considering shipping their product through
02:32 a third country.
02:34 Chefs like Tanioka have said they're now looking at sourcing ingredients from inside China
02:39 to survive.
02:41 And while even with the restrictions, China remains the largest importer of Japanese seafood.
02:46 If these problems continue, that may not be the case for much longer.