Tokyo on Friday welcomed a World Trade Organization panel*s ruling that Seoul*s continued import ban on seafood from Fukushima Prefecture 〞 home to the 2011 nuclear disaster 〞 and other parts of Japan amounts to the nation taking ※arbitrarily and unjustifiably§ discriminatory measures.

A dispute settlement panel under the WTO published a report Thursday detailing its ruling in favor of Japan*s complaint against a blanket import ban imposed by South Korea on all fishery products from the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Aomori, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba.

While acknowledging Seoul*s measures against seafood from Fukushima and the other nearby prefectures were justified initially, the WTO report said maintaining the ban to date is ※more trade-restrictive than required,§ and recommended that the ban on 28 kinds of fish be lifted, as requested by Japan.