China and Japan reached an agreement over the discharge of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, the two governments said on Friday, paving the way for a restart of seafood shipments from Japan to China.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Japan reached a consensus in August on the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Chinese state television CCTV reported on Friday.

China and Japan may be close to a breakthrough over Beijing’s ban on seafood imports from Japan, imposed last year in response to the release of treated radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant,

China imposed a ban last year after Japan began releasing treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. They have agreed to expand monitoring of the water.

China had banned purchases of seafood originating in Japan citing risk of radioactive contamination after Tokyo Electric Power started releasing treated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean last year.

Japan and China are making final preparations towards the resumption of imports by China of Japanese seafood and other marine products after regulatory monitoring of radioactive water was expanded, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.