The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that it had lifted a ban on imports of certain Japanese foodstuffs that had been imposed following the March 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. A total of 100 items from 14 prefectures, including rice and log-grown shiitake mushrooms from Fukushima Prefecture, can now be exported to the United States, which is Japan's third-largest export market for agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products.
After the nuclear disaster, the United States suspended imports of selected Japanese food products that differed by prefecture. Fukushima Prefecture was hit by the largest number of suspensions, covering 35 food items, including raw milk and some types of beef. At a Japan-U.S. summit meeting in April, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked U.S. President Joe Biden to lift the restrictions.
According to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, the number of countries that had such restrictions in effect following the Fukushima nuclear accident was once as high as 55. The lifting of the U.S. ban brings the current number down to 14. The European Union will also ease relevant regulations in mid-October, eliminating the need for inspection certificates for cultivated mushrooms and other items. Five countries and territories, including South Korea, China and Hong Kong, will continue their import bans.
In Japan, local governments and communities impose shipping restrictions on food products that are found to contain radioactive substances exceeding standard levels. The central government aims to double exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products to 2 trillion yen in 2025 and 5 trillion yen in 2030. The government hopes the removal of U.S. import restrictions will lead to a review of regulations in other countries.
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