Taiwan lifts Fukushima-area food import restrictions

Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) Taiwan has lifted special import requirements for foods from Japan's five Fukushima-area prefectures, ending the need for dual certification and 100 percent batch-by-batch testing, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) announced Friday.

Under the new rules, imports will be subject to regular, risk-based border inspections, similar to those of foods from other countries, officials said. However, items banned in Japan remain prohibited in Taiwan.

The change follows a public notice issued on Aug. 29, 2025, proposing to lift the special rules after a 60-day consultation period. The TFDA said no significant opposition was received.

Since the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011, Taiwan has banned all food imports from the five affected prefectures. Beginning in 2022, the rules were gradually relaxed, allowing items legally sold in Japan to enter if accompanied by dual certificates (proof of origin and radiation test results) and if they passed 100 percent border inspections.

Products banned in Japan remained prohibited.

From Feb. 21, 2022 to Nov. 16, 2025, Taiwan tested 24,304 batches from the five Japanese prefectures, and all of the products tested met safety standards, TFDA Director General Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) told reporters, citing TFDA statistics.

Chiang stressed that scientific evidence indicated the radiation risk from these foods was "negligible."

Japan's monitoring measures, reviewed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, are considered effective, and Japan continues to update its domestic food controls based on ongoing surveillance, he added.

Currently, only China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Russia and South Korea maintain special restrictions on Japanese food imports, according to the TFDA.