Taiwan to fully lift decade-long ban on Japanese food imports

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) Taiwan is planning to allow all imports of Japanese food and agricultural products from areas affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) announced Tuesday.

The TFDA said in a statement released Tuesday evening that it is planning to amend regulations to allow mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and "koshiabura" (foraged vegetables) from Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki, and Tochigi prefectures to be imported into Taiwan.

Taiwan lifted the ban on food imports from these five prefectures in 2022, apart from the specific products mentioned earlier.

According to TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富), all food imports from the five prefectures would undergo batch-by-batch inspections in the future under the amended regulations. Radiation and origin certificates would also be required.

Lin told reporters that over 235,000 batches of Japanese food imports have been inspected for radiation at the border since the incident in 2011, with only trace amounts that meet Taiwan and Japan's standards being detected.

Due to the confirmation of food safety and given most countries have already lifted restrictions, Taiwan is therefore once again adjusting its import control measures for Japanese products, he said.

According to Lin, 49 of 53 countries and regions have completely lifted control measures imposed on Japanese food products.

A 60-day review period is in place and public feedback on the amendments is welcome, the TFDA said.

In addition, seafood, mushrooms, tea, dairy products, and baby food from areas outside the five prefectures, such as tea from Shizuoka Prefecture, would no longer require radiation certification in the future, the TFDA said.

Only proof of origin for these products would need to be presented, the TFDA added.