China halts imports of Japanese aquatic products, citing safety concerns and public backlash

China has notified Japan that it is suspending imports of Japanese aquatic products, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

According to Mao, Japan had previously pledged to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities to ensure product quality and safety for aquatic products exported to China— a prerequisite for such exports — however, "Japan has so far failed to provide the technical materials it promised," she said.

Mao also stressed that the recent "erroneous" remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on major matters including the Taiwan question have triggered strong public indignation in China.

"Given the current situation, even if Japanese aquatic products were exported to China, there would be no market for them," she added.