G7 Nations Urgently Demand the Repeal of Japanese Food Ban

Trade ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Sunday called for the “immediate repeal” of import bans on Japanese food products and pushed for a reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The G7 trade ministers issued a joint statement after a meeting in Osaka, Japan, on Oct. 29, pledging to maintain “a free and fair trading system” and enhance “economic resilience and economic security.”

“We deplore actions to weaponize economic dependencies and commit to build on free, fair, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationships and accelerate such collaboration with the wider international community,” the statement reads.

The G7 nations—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—emphasized the importance of import curbs on food products being science-based and compliant with WTO.

They strongly called for “the immediate repeal of any such measures that unnecessarily restrict trade, including import restrictions on Japanese food products,” according to the statement.

The statement seemingly referred to China, which imposed a total ban on the imports of Japanese aquatic products after it began releasing treated wastewater from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The G7 ministers also pushed for the reform of WTO “that serves the interests of all members” and to strengthen “a rules-based, inclusive, free and fair multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.”

“We will work toward substantial WTO reform, including conducting discussions with the view to having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement (DS) system accessible to all members by 2024,” they stated.

The ministers also expressed concern over the recent export control measures on critical minerals. This came as China, the world’s top graphite producer, announced on Oct. 20 export curbs on the key material used in electric vehicle batteries.

Beijing responded by urging the G7 nations “not to stubbornly adhere to double standards” but to “take practical actions to maintain normal international trade and investment order.”

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