Neighbouring Countries Express Concerns: Is Japan's Fukushima Wastewater Release Safe?

Japan began pumping treated nuclear wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, sparking protests from neighboring countries. China immediately extended its ban on seafood imports from Japan to cover the whole country, which will negatively impact nearly half of Japan's seafood exports, worth $1.1 billion annually. While international experts say the water is treated and its release poses negligible risk, many Chinese social media users expressed worries about long-term effects on marine life and seafood. The plan was approved by the UN's nuclear watchdog and scientists say radiation doses will be thousands of times less than natural exposure levels. Some consumers in Hong Kong plan to reduce eating Japanese seafood in the short-term as fears outweigh the science for now.