China's imports of Japanese seafood fell by two-thirds in August from the same month last year, as Beijing halted all such imports following the release of treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Chinese customs authorities said on Monday the value of such imports in August was 149 million yuan, or about 20.4 million dollars.

That was down by more than 67 percent from the same month a year ago. The fall was much sharper than the roughly 30 percent drop in July.

The Chinese government suspended imports of Japanese seafood in response the start of the water discharge on August 24.

Japan's ministry of agriculture and fisheries says China is the world's top importer of Japanese seafood. Imports last year were worth about 590 million dollars.