[ti:Japanese Support Fishermen by Buying from Fukushima Area]
[al:As It Is]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2023-11-16]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]People from all over Japan are purchasing fish caught in the waters near the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
[00:10.52]In August, the power plant started releasing treated and diluted radioactive water from holding tanks into the ocean.
[00:22.36]The power complex had suffered some equipment meltdowns after huge waves flooded the area in 2011 following an earthquake.
[00:34.19]The water release is part of the Tokyo Electric Power Company plan to shut the plant.
[00:43.26]The Japanese government says the water is safe and it will be continually observed.
[00:50.65]However, some nations that once purchased a large amount of Japanese seafood are no longer doing so.
[00:59.72]China has banned seafood from Japan.
[01:04.43]The regions of Hong Kong and Macau followed along.
[01:10.07]Russia also announced restrictions on Japanese seafood in mid-October.
[01:16.13]In South Korea, many people are concerned that the radioactive water will hurt fish close to home.
[01:24.91]Many people are no longer buying fish in South Korean markets.
[01:30.14]But people in Japan are trying to support the fishing industry by buying fish and seafood.
[01:37.59]At a fish store near the Onahama Port in Fukushima, one seller said he was "half surprised, half relieved." 
[01:47.95]Business owner Kazuto Harada had a tank of live lobsters captured in local waters for sale.
[01:57.15]He said he has not heard any concerns about the water release.
[02:01.89]Fukushima fish sellers are getting orders from all over Japan. 
[02:07.07]People ask for fish called Jaban-mono, which means fish from Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki.
[02:17.60]The buyers like flounder and greeneye.
[02:21.02]Almost all the fish at the market is sold by the afternoon.
[02:26.75]The water release will continue for many years.
[02:30.39]Futoshi Kinoshita is the executive of Foodison, which owns the Sakana Bacca group of seafood stores. 
[02:40.13]He said usual testing of fishing waters is important. 
[02:44.16]But, he said it is more important that people gain trust in the seafood as they watch friends and family eat the fish.
[02:53.37]"I hope the circle of confidence will expand," Kinoshita said.
[02:58.53]The International Atomic Energy Agency approved the Japanese plan to release the water.
[03:06.30]The group said the water release is going well so far and said the plan will have very little effect on fish and the environment. 
[03:17.46]The latest water release took place last week.
[03:21.12]So far, fish prices have remained firm, or even gone up a small amount. 
[03:28.52]However, one fisheries official remains watchful.
[03:33.31]Katsuya Goto said any mistake could be very damaging to the public's trust that the fish is safe.
[03:41.69]"The government and TEPCO have begun this despite local fishers' opposition, so we must watch and make sure they do it right," he said.
[03:54.15]To support the Fukushima seafood business, the Tokyo government launched a campaign in October called "eat and cheer."
[04:03.35]It runs through the end of the year. 
[04:06.11]The campaign targets customers interested in high-priced seafood such as lobster.
[04:14.40]Then, in 2024, a group of well-known Kaiseki chefs in the city of Kyoto will start menus that use fish from Fukushima.
[04:26.77]Yoshinori Tanaka is one of the chefs.
[04:31.59]His restaurant in Kyoto is called Toriyone. 
[04:35.34]He said fish from local waters are a necessity for Japanese food. 
[04:41.27]He urged the government to continue worrying about water safety. 
[04:47.07]He said seeing people enjoy the Fukushima fish on their menus can also help ease "safety concerns that some people have."
[04:59.79]So far, people in the seafood business are happy with all the support.
[05:04.71]Experts, however, warn that such programs will not last forever. 
[05:10.96]They suggest long-term programs to keep the fishing businesses going and efforts to avoid any accidents with the water release.
[05:21.32]Today there are many fewer fishermen in the Fukushima area and they bring in fewer fish than before the nuclear disaster in 2011. 
[05:31.80]And with the recent interest in fish from Fukushima, some fish sellers are not able to meet demand.
[05:39.89]Hiroharu Haga is the manager of Ichiyoshi, a fish store in Onahama.
[05:48.07]He said the supply of Fukushima fish is still limited.
[05:53.76]"I wish I could sell more local fish," he said.
[05:57.02]I'm Dan Friedell.
[05:58.71]And I'm Jill Robbins.