So far this year, Russia has imported 118 tonnes of Japanese seafood.

The meeting aims in part to set the stage for the resumption of three-way summits among the countries' leaders, which were last held in 2019.

Tourism to Japan nearly stopped for more than two years during the pandemic, but arrivals have risen since the government resumed visa-free travel and scrapped remaining Covid controls in May 2023.

China has criticised Japan, the US and other Western nations for adopting what it calls a Cold War mentality.

Japan maintains that the water release is safe.

This comes after Japan's top talent agency Johnny & Associates apologised for decades of sexual abuses committed by its late founder.

Japan started releasing the water from the wrecked plant into the ocean last month, drawing strong criticism from China.

The launch comes two weeks after India became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon with its Chandrayaan-3 mission to the unexplored lunar south pole.

China's downturn would leave Japan's export-reliant economy with little external support as aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes cool growth in the US, another key driver of global activity.

The mission is meant to demonstrate Japan's ability to put a lightweight, low-cost craft on the moon within 100m of a designated landing site using an advanced visual navigation system.

Tokyo's foreign ministry says Japan has also requested China to hold discussions over the Fukushima-related import ban based on the provisions of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade pact.

Japan says the water from the wrecked nuclear power plant is safe and it began releasing it into the Pacific on Aug 24 despite objections at home and abroad.