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How Japanese scallops became a pawn in diplomatic tensions with China
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In Hokkaido, the country’s northernmost island, where most Japanese scallops are harvested, the prevailing sentiment is confusion.
PHOTO: HIROKO MASUIKE/NYTIMES
River Akira Davis and Kiuko Notoya
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TOKYO – In early November, a ship carrying six tonnes of Hokkaido scallops slipped out of a northern Japanese port, bound for China. The shipment was meant to be a milestone, a sign of warming ties between the countries after Beijing lifted a years-long ban on Japanese seafood.
But midway through the vessel’s journey, tensions flared again when Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signalled a willingness to defend Taiwan against China
