‘Safe & Delicious’: Japan PM eats Fukushima sushi to quell concerns

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida along with several ministers sat down for a special lunch on Wednesday. 

On the menu: seafood fished from water off the coast of Fukushima nuclear plant. The publicity stunt was meant to combat the backlash to the country's decision to release treated nuclear wastewater from the compromised power plant into the ocean. 

Amid bans on fishery products from the area, Kishida aimed to dispel concerns about the potential negative impacts of the Fukushima discharge water on human health and the ocean's ecosystem. According to Japanese Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Mishimura, the group ate a meal that consisted of sashimi with sea bass, flounder, and octopus alongside rice harvested in Fukushima. 

"We need to let people at and abroad know about the safety of our seafood, "the minister told the media following the lunch, which was closed to all press.

On August 24th, Japan began releasing treated wastewater from the nuclear plan that was wrecked by an earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2011. Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency have both claimed that the release of the purified radioactive water would have 'negligible' effects on health and the environment.

The decision was met with widespread condemnation from the inside of the country, and regional neighbors, including protests and a full ban on Japanese fishery products by China and Hong Kong. The ban is expected to hit Japanese fisheries hard, as exports are a major source of income, and the Kishida, administration has set up two funds to assist local fisheries and dispel harmful rumors about contaminated seafood.