[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Choyoung] Since a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on the 13th, rockfish caught off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture have been found to contain radioactive substances at levels five times the standard limit.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK on the 23rd, this fish was caught on the 22nd at a fishing ground 8.8 km off the coast of Shinji Town, Fukushima Prefecture, at a depth of 24 meters.
Measurements taken by the Fukushima Prefectural Research Institute showed that the concentration of the deadly radioactive substance cesium was 500 Bq (becquerels) per kilogram. This is five times higher than the Japanese government's food safety limit of 100 becquerels per kilogram. Fukushima Prefecture applies its own stricter standard of 50 becquerels per kilogram, which means the detected level is ten times higher than their limit.
This is the first time since February 2019, when a "hongeo" (fermented skate) exceeded government standards, that seafood caught off the coast of Fukushima has been found to contain radioactive substances above the government limit. The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations has decided to suspend the shipment and distribution of rockfish until safety can be confirmed.
According to the Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Research Center, which measures radioactive substance concentrations in seafood caught off Fukushima's coast, the levels of radioactive substances have significantly decreased compared to immediately after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
In the past year, 4,261 fish were examined, and none were found to exceed government standards for radioactive substances. Among 50 rockfish tested, all were below the standard limit.
The Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries and Marine Research Center stated, "Considering the low concentration of radioactive substances in the seawater and seabed off Shinji Town, where the problematic rockfish was caught, we do not understand why such a high level of radioactive cesium was detected," and added, "We will investigate with the possibility in mind that the fish may have come from the harbor of the Fukushima nuclear power plant."
Meanwhile, South Korea currently maintains import bans on agricultural and marine products produced near Fukushima Prefecture. In contrast, the Japanese government lifted shipment restrictions on all fish species caught off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture at the end of February last year.
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