In reversal, WTO backs S. Korea ban on Japanese fishery goods

April 12, 2019

Tokyo--The World Trade Organization's Appellate Body has issued a final ruling tolerating South Korea's import ban on fishery products from some Japanese prefectures that was introduced after the 2011 nuclear accident in Japan, reversing an earlier verdict against the embargo.

The body on Thursday canceled the decision made by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body in February 2018 that the South Korean ban amounts to unfair discrimination.

In a statement issued on Friday, the South Korean government welcomed the ruling and said that the import ban will be kept intact.

The situation will continue to be tough for Japan, which aims to achieve the early reconstruction of areas affected by the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, sources said.

The final ruling is likely to affect the stances of countries and regions, including China, that also continue to restrict food imports from Japan.

In the wake of the Appellate Body ruling, Japan is expected to find it even more difficult to improve its relations with South Korea that have deteriorated partly due to a series of South Korean court rulings that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation to South Koreans requisitioned to work for them during World War II, as well as the issue of former Korean comfort women, who were forced to serve as prostitutes for Japanese troops before and during the war, pundits said.

The Appellate Body concluded that there was a flaw in the discussions held by the DSB in making its decision against the South Korean import ban.

"It is regrettable that our argument was rejected by the WTO," a Japanese government official said.

South Korea has been banning imports of fishery products from eight Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, in the northeastern part of the country, where the disaster-stricken nuclear plant is located. The other seven are Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba.

Japan in 2015 filed a complaint with the Geneva-based WTO against the South Korean ban, claiming that it violates WTO rules.

In the February 2018 decision, the DSB urged South Korea to take corrective action. But Seoul failed to comply and instead filed an appeal. Jiji Press