Restrictions on seafood imports from Fukushima lifted

PHILIPPINES
Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 10:00 (GMT + 9)

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said Thursday his country had lifted restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, due to a lower risk of radioactive contamination.

Locsin said during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi in Manila that the Philippines had eliminated on Wednesday the need for radiation test results for shipments of some types of seafood and agricultural products from Fukushima and surrounding areas.

“I look forward to safe Japanese food reaching many of the people of the Philippines,” Motegi told a joint news briefing after the meeting.

The Southeast Asian country had required radiation testing of beef and vegetables from Fukushima and Ibaraki, as well as fishery products from the two prefectures along with Tochigi and Gunma following the March 2011 triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant that were triggered by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.

A total of 54 countries and regions implemented measures following the crisis. The announcement by the Philippines brings the number with them still in place to 20, with the United States, China and South Korea among countries that maintain some restrictions, according to the farm ministry.

Motegi and Locsin also agreed to step up security cooperation, with an eye to countering China’s militarization of artificial islands in disputed parts of the South China Sea, as well as economic cooperation, including infrastructure development.

Following the meeting, the two signed an agreement for Japan to provide a low-interest loan of up to JPY 4.4 billion (USD 40 million) to reinforce major bridges in Manila.

Location of the Philippines (green)►

Later in the day, Motegi paid a courtesy call on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and toured one of the 10 patrol ships supplied by Japan to the Philippine Coast Guard to protect its waters.

The Japanese foreign minister is on a weeklong tour of Southeast Asia that has taken him to Vietnam and Thailand, with a final stop in Indonesia on Friday.

Source: The Japan Times

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