China bans Japan's seafood as dumping of Fukushima waste into Pacific begins

Japan has begun discharging more than 1m tonnes of tainted water into the Pacific Ocean from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in a move that has prompted China to announce an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan and sparked anger in nearby fishing communities.

- Justin McCurry, Helen Davidson 

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), pumped a small quantity of water from the plant yesterday, two days after the plan was approved by Japan's government.

Tepco said the release began at 1.03pm local time and it had not identified any abnormalities with the seawater pump or the surrounding facilities.

Live video showed engineers behind computer screens and an official saying, after a countdown, that the "valves near the seawater transport pumps are opening".

Monitors from the UN atomic watchdog, which endorsed the plan, were due to be on site for the procedure, while Tepco workers were scheduled to take water samples later in the day.

The discharge, which is expected to take 30 to 40 years, has caused anger in neighbouring countries and concern among fishers that it will destroy their industry as consumers steer clear of seafood caught in and around Fukushima.