NHK



 

Britain's biggest festival of Japanese culture and food has promoted the safety of marine products from Japan.

The event comes amid China's suspension of seafood imports following discharges of treated and diluted water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japan Matsuri was held at Trafalgar Square in central London on Sunday. It was the first time in four years that the annual event has taken place as it had been suspended due to the pandemic.

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt opened the event by saying that "We are all celebrating the wonderful relationship between Japan and the UK."

He said he especially wants to salute the people of Fukushima, who are back on their feet after the tragedy of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and are exporting delicious food.

Hunt added in Japanese that he hopes people will enjoy Japanese culture, dance and food. He once taught English in Japan.

At one of about 40 booths in the venue, visitors enjoyed tasting scallops from Hokkaido.

At another booth set up by a group of people with links to Fukushima Prefecture, canned tuna and mackerel produced by students of Onahama Kaisei High School in Iwaki City were served.

Visitors also formed a long line in front of the booth to buy peaches and pears from the prefecture. Britain lifted import restrictions on the fruits last year.

The head of a group of Fukushima residents now living in the UK, Mitsuyama Yoshio, said he was glad to see people smiling and tasting Japanese seafood, and to be able to support people in Japan's fishery industry who are struggling.