Beijing’s de facto ban on imports of Japanese seafood products has roiled trade relations between the two countries even further. A senior official from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries made the announcement of the suspension on Wednesday. They blamed that on a lack of radiation inspections. This new development comes on the heels of Japan recently announcing a resumption of seafood exports to China earlier this month.
The import ban was officially reported on November 19, 2025, and further updates were issued on the same day at 21:36 JST. The statement from Japan’s agriculture ministry indicates that the suspension stems from China’s insistence on stringent radiation checks for imported seafood, a demand that has now resulted in a complete halt to such imports.
Putting aside the legal merits of this suspension, the timing is certainly suspect. This is particularly so in light of last month’s statements by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi regarding Taiwan. Many analysts see this as a sign that China is preparing to retaliate. More than that, it exposes the heightened political and diplomatic frictions between the two countries. Threatened by challenging domestic political conditions, bilateral relations are charged with contention. This recent announcement just heaps on top those existing challenges.
After nearly three years of stalled exports, Japan recently restarted seafood shipments with the People’s Republic of China. This state of affairs underscores the fickle character of international trade agreements in the area. The newly re-established restriction on Japanese seafood will only further exacerbate the pressure on Japanese fishermen and exporters. They were chomping at the bit to capitalize on the reopening of this major market.
This announcement will be a huge boon to both economies. Japan relies on exports to China for at least 80% of its fishing industry income. With this suspension, many stakeholders in Japan are now grappling with the uncertainty surrounding their future trade prospects with China.
Kotose Hamano took an amazing long exposure photo that really shows how dire the situation. This stunning image helps to illustrate the bigger picture of the overall Japan–Chinese seafood trade around the world. Nikkei staff writers then redeveloped that article to put a spotlight on these exciting developments. Their goal is to provide deep and wide coverage and analysis of the fast-changing landscape.