Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Kyodo

EU, Norway, Iceland lift post-Fukushima import curbs on Japanese food

The European Union, Norway and Iceland on Thursday lifted import restrictions they imposed on food products from parts of Japan after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, which occurred in the country's northeast.

As a result of the changes, the number of countries and regions maintaining import controls due to radioactivity safety concerns is down to nine, with Switzerland expected to follow suit on Aug. 15. As many as 55 economies had restrictions in place at one stage.

Photo: Kyodo News / FIS

The removal of requirements for Japan to test for radionuclides and provide safety certifications for some seafood and agricultural products is welcome news for producers in Fukushima, as well as those in the nine other affected prefectures: Miyagi, Yamagata, Ibaraki, Gunma, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano, Iwate and Shizuoka.

The EU had been gradually easing its restrictions over recent years, leaving wild mushrooms, some fish species and wild edible plants among the last food items subjected to testing.

Photo: Yama Seafood / FIS

The 27-nation European bloc announced its decision to end the measures based on scientific grounds on July 13 during an EU-Japan summit in Brussels, Belgium, attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU's decision comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded in early July that Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea is consistent with international safety standards, and will have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.

Photo: Stockfile FIS

But in a statement made on July 13, the EU called on the Japanese government to continue monitoring domestic products for radioactivity, with a particular focus on "fish, fishery products and seaweed close to the release site of the contaminated water," and to also make the results public.

The planned release has caused concern among some, prompting China and Hong Kong, which have maintained curbs, to intensify radiation inspections for seafood imports from Japan.

The United States, Israel and Singapore lifted all of their post-Fukushima import restrictions on Japanese food products in 2021, while Britain and Indonesia lifted theirs in 2022.

Source: Kyodo News 

Related News:

• Russia to tighten oversight of seafood over Fukushima water release

• Japan pressures Korea to lift import ban on Fukushima seafood

• S. Korea Stands Firm on Fukushima Seafood Import Ban

• Seafood businesses question plan to release treated water from Fukushima plant

• Concern: South Korea expands ocean radioactivity testing
  

• Radioactive pollution. Many Japanese restaurants in China stop importing seafood from Japan

• Global fishing groups sound alarm as Japan goes ahead with dumping nuclear-tainted

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