Japan and China said Friday they have reached a deal toward resolving their disputes over the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea and Beijing’s ban on Japanese seafood.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Japan reached a consensus in August on the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Chinese state television CCTV reported on Friday.

China and Japan reached an agreement over the discharge of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, the two governments said on Friday, paving the way for a restart of seafood shipments from Japan to China.

China had used the release of wastewater into the ocean, which began in August 2023, as a diplomatic punching bag and imposed a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports. Japanese seafood shipments to China were down 99% on the year this July.

China looks set to start lifting its ban on the import of Japanese fishery products after reaching an agreement with Japan for the independent monitoring of the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant by China and other countries.

China and Japan reached a consensus in August on the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Chinese state television CCTV reported on Friday. The two sides agreed on Japan establishing a long-term international monitoring arrangement and allowing stakeholders to conduct independent sampling and monitoring,

China has agreed to end its ban on Japanese seafood imports – eventually. China’s ban was implemented in August 2023 after Japanese authorities approved the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

China said on Thursday its Liaoning aircraft carrier had been on a routine training mission in the western Pacific and dismissed charges by Tokyo that the vessel and its escorts had entered Japanese waters.