Brussels (Belgium), 13/07/2023.- (L-R) Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel arrive at a press conference after the 29th EU-Japan summit in Brussels, Belgium, 13 July 2023. Japan is EU's closest partner in the Indo-Pacific region. The summit highlights this strong relationship as leaders take stock of progress on several partnerships and lay the ground for deeper cooperation. (Bélgica, Japón, Bruselas) EFE/EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS

EU ends restrictions on food from Japan imposed after Fukushima disaster

Brussels, July 13 (EFE).- The European Union Thursday announced the end of all food import restrictions on Japan imposed in 2011 following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Brussels (Belgium), 13/07/2023.- (L-R) Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrive at a press conference after the 29th EU-Japan summit in Brussels, Belgium, 13 July 2023. Japan is EU's closest partner in the Indo-Pacific region. The summit highlights this strong relationship as leaders take stock of progress on several partnerships and lay the ground for deeper cooperation. (Bélgica, Japón, Bruselas) EFE/EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS

EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced the decision on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel.

“We have taken this decision based on science and based on the proof of evidence,” von der Leyen said.

A European Commission statement said the lifting of the restrictions stemmed from “positive results from controls done on the products by the Japanese authorities and the EU member states.”

“We have one of the world’s highest food safety standards in the world in the EU, upholding them is the key priority of our work,” said Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.

“This is why, following the diligent work of the Japanese authorities and the close collaboration with our experts over the past years, we are now in the position to lift the import restrictions for food from Fukushima.”

Kyriakides said the favorable control results of recent years demonstrated the strong commitment and cooperation of Japanese partners.

The EU restricted Japanese food products as a health measure after Fukushima nuclear disaster, fearing possible radioactive contamination.

The 27-nation bloc imposed extensive pre-export testing of food products to detect radioactivity.

Since the adoption of the restrictions in 2011, the measures have been reviewed by the commission every second year and have been progressively eased as risks declined.

The last review took place in September 2021 and limited the pre-export testing restrictions to wild mushrooms, some fish species, and wild edible plants.

A strict maximum level of 100 becquerel/kg has been in place in the EU for food from Japan since June 2011.

“The maximum has always been fully respected, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Japanese control and monitoring systems,” the EU said.

“Now that the restrictions have been fully lifted, it is however important that the Japanese government continues to monitor domestic production for radioactivity.”

The EU statement said it included fish, fishery products, and seaweed close to the release site of the contaminated cooling water.

“They should be monitored for the presence of radionuclides, including tritium. It is also important that the Japanese government makes all the results publicly available.”

The EU member states endorsed the regulation lifting the restrictions, adopted by the commission. EFE

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