Japan's fisheries minister, Miyashita Ichiro, has promoted the safety of Japanese seafood in Malaysia in a bid to explore new markets.

This comes as China has suspended all seafood imports from Japan in response to the release of treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Miyashita was in Malaysia to attend an international conference. He took part in promotional events on Wednesday.

At a Japanese restaurant in the capital of Kuala Lumpur, a tasting event was held, inviting food companies and social media influencers.

Miyashita said Japan is "proceeding with the utmost caution" in releasing the water, and no problems have occurred.

Participants sampled sushi and sashimi made from scallops from Hokkaido and yellowtail from Miyazaki.

A man in his 30s who works in online media said many people in Malaysia love Japanese cuisine. He added he wants Japan to continue explaining the safety of its seafood so people have no worries about it.