Taiwan lifts Fukushima-related restrictions on Japanese food imports

Taiwan said Wednesday it has lifted the remaining food import restrictions in place since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, allowing the entry of all foods approved for distribution in Japan. In February 2022, Taiwan removed its ban on most food products from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi and Chiba prefectures, but curbs remained on certain items like mushrooms and wild game meat. “We believe this is an optimistic step that will help reconstruction efforts in the disaster areas,” said Tetsushi Sakamoto, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. While the move will allow imports of products from the five prefectures, they will still be required to submit forms declaring radiation levels from those regions. All food products from Japan will also require a certificate of origin. However, importers will no longer need to file radiation reports for designated foods from specific regions, including tea leaves from Shizuoka Prefecture. The decision came after the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration had draft amendments to regulations undergo a 60-day preview period to collect public opinions. Over 50 countries and regions introduced import curbs on Japanese food products after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011. Most have already lifted them, but neighboring countries such as China, South Korea and Russia have yet to do so, according to the Japanese farm ministry. © KYODO