Taipei, July 24 (CNA) – Taiwan has announced plans to fully lift its decade-long ban on Japanese food imports from areas impacted by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) revealed the decision on Tuesday.
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the TFDA indicated that it intends to amend existing regulations to permit the importation of a range of products from Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki, and Tochigi prefectures. The products include mushrooms, wild bird and animal meat, and “koshiabura” (foraged vegetables).
The ban had been partially lifted in 2022, allowing imports from these regions with the exception of the aforementioned products.
TFDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu explained that under the new regulations, all food imports from these five prefectures will be subject to batch-by-batch inspections. These inspections will include checks for radiation and require certificates of origin.
Lin reported that since the Fukushima disaster, over 235,000 batches of Japanese food have been inspected for radiation at Taiwan’s borders. Only trace amounts meeting both Taiwanese and Japanese safety standards have been detected.
The decision to relax the import restrictions follows global trends and the fact that most countries have already lifted their bans. Lin noted that 49 out of 53 countries and regions have removed restrictions on Japanese food products.
The TFDA is currently conducting a 60-day review period during which public feedback on the proposed amendments is welcomed.
Furthermore, the TFDA announced that products such as seafood, mushrooms, tea, dairy products, and baby food from regions outside the five prefectures—like tea from Shizuoka Prefecture—will no longer require radiation certification. Only proof of origin will be necessary for these products moving forward.
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