Taiwan's easing of Japan import ban could help trade deal: MOFA

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) The decision by Taiwan's government last month to further ease a ban on imports of food items from Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster could give new momentum to a bilateral trade deal, a diplomat said Tuesday.

Fan Chen-kuo (范振國), secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, made the comment during a MOFA briefing when asked about the prospect of Japan and Taiwan signing an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

An EPA would be similar to a free trade deal aimed at strengthening economic and trade ties.

During Tuesday's MOFA briefing, Fan said Taiwan and Japan first launched an economic partnership committee (EPC) in 2014 that was meant to meet annually to discuss economic and trade issues of mutual concern, with the ultimate goal of signing a comprehensive EPA.

The annual meeting was suspended by Tokyo after the 2014 encounter, however, because it was unhappy with Taipei's decision to maintain a ban on imports of food items from five Japanese prefectures affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, according to the diplomat.

Japan saw the ongoing ban on products from Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures as a trade barrier and repeatedly called on Taiwan to lift the restrictions.

The annual EPC meeting did not return until early 2022, after Taiwan's government partially lifted the ban on all food imports, Fan said.

The EPC has met annually since then, in Tokyo in 2023 and in Taipei in 2024.

Fan said Taiwan took another key step on Sept. 25, when it said almost all food items from the five Japanese prefectures would be allowed into the country, with the only items still blocked to be those from the five areas banned from being sold in Japan.

Those products could still be imported on the condition that their importers present radiation and origin certificates, according to Fan.

Though Fan said the Japanese side was not totally satisfied with the certificate requirement, Japan's then Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto praised the Taipei decision.

"We believe this is an optimistic step that will help reconstruction efforts in the disaster areas," Sakamoto said.

According to Fan, Taiwan and Japan have already signed an investment agreement, an agreement on avoiding double taxation, and a customs agreement, which would all serve as foundation for the ultimate signing of an EPA.

"Taiwan and Japan have a consensus that enhancing bilateral economic and trade relations is mutually beneficial," he said, adding that the two sides could continue talks on potentially signing a EPA in the near future.

Japan is Taiwan's third-largest trading partner, and Taiwan is Japan's fourth-largest trading partner.

Taiwan's main export items to Japan include integrated circuits, memory hardware, polyethylene terephthalate, mechanical parts, turbojet engines, processors and controllers, and steel products, according to government data.

During an interview with CNA earlier this month, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said he hoped Taiwan and Japan can further enhance economic and trade relations "by signing an EPA in the near future to take bilateral integration to even higher level."