US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel expressed support for the fishery industry in Fukushima during his visit to a fishing port in the northeastern prefecture on Thursday.

His visit came a week after Japan began releasing into the ocean treated and diluted water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The ambassador held talks with three officials at the Soma Futaba fishery cooperative in the city of Soma.

Emanuel was briefed on what damage the 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused to the port and local efforts spanning 12 years since then to restore the volume of fish catch back to about 20 percent of the level before the nuclear accident.

After the talks, Emanuel ate locally caught raw flounder and cooked flatfish at a restaurant near the port. He also bought fish and dried seaweed at an open fish market.

The ambassador said that he felt the strong determination of fishers in Fukushima.

He also expressed hope that people inside and outside Japan should know that seafood from the waters off Fukushima is safe, and they should play a part in supporting local fishers.