SHANGHIA
\nTakashi Ito, owner of a restaurant in Shanghai, had been looking forward to China\u2019s lifting of a ban on imports of Japanese seafood \u2014 only to have his hopes dashed this week amid an increasingly heated diplomatic spat between Beijing and Tokyo.
\nTensions between the Asian neighbors flared up after new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan\u2019s survival could trigger a military response.
\nChina, which regards the democratically governed island as its own, responded with ire. In addition to reinstating a ban on Japanese marine produce, it has boycotted travel to Japan, and threatened stern countermeasures. Numerous meetings and cultural events have also been canceled.
\n\u201cEvery time a major incident like this happens, we are in great pain because our hearts rise and fall as the relationship between Japan and China rattles every time. It\u2019s very painful,\u201d Ito told Reuters at his Japanese seafood restaurant Merase.
\nIn perhaps a worrying sign, the restaurant also had a few cancelations on Wednesday night, although the potential customers didn\u2019t say why. Chinese customers generally account for half of Merase\u2019s bookings.
\nBeijing had only recently partially eased restrictions on Japanese seafood that had been imposed due to Tokyo\u2019s decision two years ago to release treated wastewater from its Fukushima power plant, the site of a 2011 nuclear meltdown that followed a massive earthquake and tsunami.
\nIto has tried to source locally as much as possible but some types of fish can only be procured from Japan.
\n\u201cThis incident is one of the biggest incidents so far,\u201d he said, adding that he believes it\u2019s unlikely there will be any good news about seafood imports soon.
\n\u201cTakaichi said what she said and I don\u2019t think she will change it. If possible, I hope diplomats in Japan and China can work together to improve the situation. I hope that the people of China and Japan will be able to enjoy the same foods without fighting each other,\u201d he said.
\nThe dispute has seen vitriolic responses by a Chinese diplomat in Japan and Chinese state media aimed at Takaichi. That\u2019s prompted Japan to warn its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places.
\nBut both Ito and fellow Shanghai-based restaurateur Kazuaki Sone say they are not concerned about their own safety \u2014 only about the potential that problems between governments will make it harder for people to continue connecting for business, food or cultural exchange.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve lived a long time in China and I have experienced diplomatic tensions between Japan and China several times,\u201d said Sone who moved to China in 2012 and opened a yakitori restaurant, Hyakumanben, two years ago.
\n\u201cBut people in general, especially good friends, don\u2019t treat me any differently … That\u2019s why I am still able to work here in China,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SHANGHIA Takashi Ito, owner of a restaurant in Shanghai, had been looking forward to China\u2019s lifting of a ban on imports of Japanese seafood \u2014 only to have his hopes dashed this week amid an increasingly heated diplomatic spat between Beijing and Tokyo. Tensions between the Asian neighbors flared up after new Japanese Prime Minister […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":515799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-515786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n