BEIJING (Kyodo) -- China said Thursday no abnormalities were found in seawater samples it independently collected near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reportedly carried out last October, but stressed the need to continue such monitoring before it can lift a total ban on Japanese seafood imports.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press conference that Beijing's opposition to the treated water discharge into the sea, which began in August 2023, "remains unchanged." She said having China conduct its own independent monitoring was "only one of the steps" for Japan to fulfill its commitments.

The resumption of Japanese seafood imports "depends on a series of scientific data including our follow-up independent sampling and monitoring" and whether Tokyo will take measures to guarantee the quality and safety of its aquatic products, Mao added.

She said Chinese research institutions detected no abnormal data in the radioactive concentration of tritium, cesium-137 and strontium-90. The Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with China's ruling Communist Party, reported Wednesday the samples were collected last October.

China joined a survey of the marine environment under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency, together with South Korea and Switzerland. "Specific data will be compiled and released by the IAEA," the Global Times said.

Japan and China agreed in September last year that seafood imports from Japan will gradually resume, contingent on Beijing's participation in the monitoring activities.

China had imposed the blanket ban immediately after the first release of treated water.

The tabloid quoted Chinese experts as saying Japan's "unilateral decision to initiate the discharge lacks legitimacy" and "a cautious approach should always be maintained from a scientific perspective."