Following the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear reactor, the Chinese government issued a ban on the import of certain goods, which prompted the United States troops stationed in Japan to start buying fish in large quantities.
Rahm Emanuel, the ambassador of the United States to Japan, warned that Washington may also explore more countermeasures in response to China's prohibition. He explained that it was Beijing's attempt at "economic warfare."
Because of health and safety concerns, China has placed a ban on the import of Japanese seafood.
China is the country's largest importer of Japanese seafood. In 2012, Japan shipped more than 100,000 metric tons of scallops to China.
The initial purchase of shellfish that will be made in accordance with the program in the United States will be a far smaller quantity, coming in at slightly under one metric ton.
According to Mr. Emanuel's statements to sources, this is the start of a long-term deal that would eventually cover all types of seafood.
The purchases will be used to provide food for Japanese military troops as well as sold in stores and restaurants that are located on Japanese military facilities.
Mr. Emanuel stated that it will be a long-term contract between the US military and local fisheries and cooperatives.
Providing help and assistance to the nation or industry that is the target of China's economic coercion is, according to him, the most effective approach they have identified for undermining China's economic coercion.
Mr. Emmanuel stated that the US military had not previously purchased Japanese seafood in Japan and that Washington may also examine its fish imports from Japan and China.
In response to Mr. Emanuel's remarks, the spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, stated on Monday that the role of diplomats is to foster friendship between nations, not to insult other nations and stir up trouble.
In recent months, Mr. Emanuel has commented on a variety of issues pertaining to China, including its economic policies and treatment of foreign companies. Several senior US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have recently traveled to Beijing in an effort to ease tensions between the world's two largest economies.
Following the tremendous damage caused by the tsunami in 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant amassed more than one million tonnes of treated wastewater.
Despite Japan's assertions that the water was safe and the consensus of the majority of scientists, China has banned the import of the water. The idea was also given the green light by the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations.
In addition to this, Tokyo has made it apparent that other nuclear power facilities in China and France have also been known to leak comparable quantities of waste water.
Regular reports are produced by Japan to demonstrate that the ocean in the vicinity of Fukushima demonstrates no measurable amounts of radiation.
On Sunday, trade ministers from the Group of Seven (G7), an organization of the world's top so-called "advanced" nations, demanded that sanctions on Japanese food be immediately lifted.
