China and Japan reached a deal that would pave the way for the lifting of Beijing’s ban on Japanese seafood imports, removing a key source of diplomatic friction between the two nations.

The breakthrough comes after the two sides agreed on a framework to monitor Japan’s discharge of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. China imposed a blanket ban on Japanese seafood in August last year in protest of Tokyo’s move.

On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi agreed on additional international monitoring of discharges of the water. Japan said the steps would take “into account the interests of all stakeholder countries, including China.”

The announcement comes a day after the death of a Japanese child, who was stabbed in Shenzhen. China is one of the largest markets for Japanese seafood exporters and the ban has been one of the main points of tension between the two countries. Ties have also been strained due to historical grievances and an ongoing territorial dispute.

China said independent sampling and other monitoring activities must be carried out before it would start to gradually resume imports, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

State broadcaster CCTV added that the agreement with Japan “will help China obtain comprehensive, true and effective data in a timely manner and prevent discharges that do not meet the standards.”

Japan began releasing treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea in August last year, a move it said was necessary because of a lack of storage space on land. The decision prompted China and other nations to impose a ban on Japanese seafood imports. Hong Kong also implemented a ban on seafood from 10 Japanese prefectures.

Regular testing of seawater since the release began has not shown levels of radiation that would pose a risk to human health, according to the IAEA and the Japanese government. China and other countries also release treated radioactive water into the sea from their power plants. Several nations have dropped or loosened their curbs on Japanese seafood.

China was one of the largest export markets for Japanese seafood and Tokyo has repeatedly called for Beijing to lift its ban. The latest agreement doesn’t mean exports would quickly rebound to levels before the ban.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning emphasized at a briefing Friday that the country hasn’t changed its opposition to what she called “Japan’s unilateral decision” to release the wastewater. She added that Beijing would now work with Tokyo to create a new long-term monitoring mechanism.

Tensions between the two countries flared this week after the 10-year-old Japanese child was stabbed in China on his way to school and subsequently died from the attack, and as a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed between two Japanese islands. Tokyo lodged a protest over both incidents.

Last month, a Chinese military aircraft entered Japanese airspace in an unprecedented move. And in July, China said a Japanese destroyer sailed into its territorial waters. The two nations have been engaged in a territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Tokyo and claimed by Beijing.

With assistance from Sarah Hilton and Stephen Stapczynski.

previous coverage

• Death of Japanese boy stabbed in China risks inflaming tensions
• Chinese aircraft carrier comes closer than ever to Japan