ID :
192833
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 18:40
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http://m.oananews.org//node/192833
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Malaysia eases restrictions on food imported from Japan
TOKYO, July 4 Kyodo -
Malaysia eased last Friday restrictions on food imported from Japan, and no longer requires food produced in areas surrounding the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan be tested for radioactivity, Japan's farm ministry said Monday.
The Malaysian government now requires Japanese exporters submit only proof of origin, and will itself inspect all imported food harvested or processed in eight Japanese prefectures -- Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
Until June 30, Japanese businesses exporting food to Malaysia from the eight prefectures -- plus Yamagata and Niigata prefectures and Tokyo -- needed to submit not just proof of origin, but also certification that any radioactive contamination of the food was below Malaysian-set safety levels.
The restrictions were put in place after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused a nuclear disaster at a power plant in Fukushima, 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. Those two natural disasters led to several explosions, which caused the release of massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air and sea.
The fact food exported from Yamagata, Tokyo and Niigata has not exceeded Malaysia's threshold limits for three months led to last Friday's change, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
About 40 economies around the world have import restrictions in place on food exported from areas in Japan around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, but they are gradually moving to ease them, with Canada, the United States and Russia having already lifted or eased restrictions, according to the ministry.
Malaysia eased last Friday restrictions on food imported from Japan, and no longer requires food produced in areas surrounding the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan be tested for radioactivity, Japan's farm ministry said Monday.
The Malaysian government now requires Japanese exporters submit only proof of origin, and will itself inspect all imported food harvested or processed in eight Japanese prefectures -- Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
Until June 30, Japanese businesses exporting food to Malaysia from the eight prefectures -- plus Yamagata and Niigata prefectures and Tokyo -- needed to submit not just proof of origin, but also certification that any radioactive contamination of the food was below Malaysian-set safety levels.
The restrictions were put in place after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused a nuclear disaster at a power plant in Fukushima, 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. Those two natural disasters led to several explosions, which caused the release of massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air and sea.
The fact food exported from Yamagata, Tokyo and Niigata has not exceeded Malaysia's threshold limits for three months led to last Friday's change, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
About 40 economies around the world have import restrictions in place on food exported from areas in Japan around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, but they are gradually moving to ease them, with Canada, the United States and Russia having already lifted or eased restrictions, according to the ministry.
