Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Announces Lifting of Food Import Restrictions Applied After Nuclear Accident
Expected to Increase Demands for Lifting Domestic Food Import Restrictions Against Korea, China, and Taiwan
[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] The U.S. government has lifted all import restrictions on Japanese food products that were introduced after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant explosion in March 2011.
On the 22nd, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that the U.S. government has completely abolished import restrictions on Japanese food products that had been applied following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Among the regions subject to U.S. import bans applied at the prefectural level, 14 prefectures including Fukushima remained.
With the full removal of U.S. import restrictions, it has become possible to export a total of 100 items from Fukushima, including rice, as well as agricultural products from surrounding areas such as Miyagi and Iwate, to the U.S.
The U.S. is Japan's third-largest export destination (region) for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and food, following Hong Kong and China.
Last year, Japan exported agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and food worth 118.8 billion yen (approximately 1.3 trillion KRW) to the U.S., of which rice accounted for about 560 million yen.
Immediately after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the number of countries and regions imposing import restrictions on Japanese food products reached 55, but with the U.S. removed, it has decreased to 14.
Based on the U.S. government's recent decision, the Japanese government is expected to increase demands for lifting import restrictions against countries and regions such as South Korea, China, and Taiwan, which still maintain restrictions related to the Fukushima nuclear accident.
A Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official said, as reported by Kyodo News, "The U.S. removal of restrictions will have a significant impact on other countries and regions."
Earlier, on the 21st, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that the European Union (EU) will ease import restrictions by exempting the submission of radioactive substance inspection certificates for certain wild vegetables, including mushrooms cultivated in Japan and Aralia elata produced in Fukushima Prefecture, starting from the 10th of next month.
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