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Food Contamination: When Political Interests Take Precedence Over People Interests

In recent years the Japanese Government has been heavily lobbying other nations to lift the radiation controls and security measures which those nations have been taken on the Fukushima and nearby prefectures food products imports since the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. Disaster which is still ongoing up to the present day, with its contamination omnipresent all over Eastern Japan.

There are two reasons behind such intense forceful lobbying. The first one of course is economic, to maintain the income generated by those exports. The second one is plainly political, to indirectly soothe the fears of the Japanese people themselves about the radiation contaminated food.

It seems that this lobbying is now making headways, as the European Commission finally decided to relax restrictions on some food imports from Fukushima. Such decision prioritizes political and economic considerations over the health of the European people, and dismisses as if they were non-existing all the available gathered scientific data about the devastating health effects of the Chernobyl radiation contaminated food on the Ukrainian and Belarussian populations during the past 30 years.

From the Japan Times:

EU due to start easing restrictions on food imports from Fukushima
The European Union will start easing restrictions Saturday imposed on Japanese food imports over the Fukushima nuclear disaster, including vegetables and beef produced in the prefecture, the farm ministry said.
Tsuyoshi Takagi, Cabinet minister in charge of rebuilding from the March 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, on Friday welcomed the bloc’s decision. At present, all food items from Fukushima except alcoholic beverages must be shipped with radiation inspection certificates.
That requirement will be removed for vegetables, fruit excluding persimmons, livestock products, tea and soba, because the radiation levels of these items never exceeded permissible levels in 2013 and 2014, according to the farm ministry.
Other food from the prefecture such as rice, mushrooms, soybeans and some fishery products — excluding scallops, seaweed and live fish — will remain subject to the requirement.
The allowable limits are set at 100 becquerels per kilogram for vegetables and fruit, 50 Bq/kg for milk beverages and infant food, and 10 Bq/kg for drinking water, in accordance to Japanese standards.
The EU move follows the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry’s announcement in November that the bloc would ease the restrictions after gaining approval from the European Commission.
The decision also comes as the European Union and Japan are in the midst of negotiations for a free trade agreement. In the talks, Tokyo is seeking the elimination of duties on Japanese vehicles, while Brussels is looking to expand exports through the reduction of tariffs on pork, cheese, wine and other agricultural products.
“We will make persistent efforts so (restrictions) on all items (from Fukushima) will be eliminated,” Takagi said at a press conference Friday.
The minister added that he will continue to work with other countries to lift similar restrictions imposed after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant raised concerns over the safety of food produced in Japan.
The European Union will also remove restrictions on all food imports from Aomori and Saitama prefectures.
Aside from Fukushima, restrictions will remain in place for some items produced in 12 prefectures in northeastern, eastern and central Japan.
At least 14 countries, including Australia and Thailand, have abolished restrictions on Japanese food imports, while dozens of countries like South Korea maintain special rules.

Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/09/national/eu-due-start-easing-restrictions-food-imports-fukushima/#.VpI6SFLzN_k

This European decision can now be used by the Japanese Government as a leverage to immediately try to force its Asian neighbors to also lift their restrictive measures.

From the Free Malaysia Today:

Japan presses Singapore to ease restrictions on Fukushima imports
TOKYO: Japan pressed Singapore to ease its ban on Fukushima food imports, following the European Union’s move to relax restrictions on imports from the area, according to media reports on Sunday.
Japanese agriculture minister Hiroshi Moriyama said the Asian financial hub would take “proactive” steps to meet Tokyo’s request, after holding talks with Singapore’s minister for national development, reported Jiji Press.
On Saturday the EU began easing restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Under the previous rule, the EU required all food products, excluding alcohol, from Fukushima prefecture to come with radiation inspection certification.
The EU continues to restrict the importation of items such as rice, mushrooms and some fishery products, however.
Singapore has banned imports of certain Fukushima products since 2011.
“I explained the EU’s step to ease” its restriction, Moriyama told Japanese journalists in Singapore.
“I asked for easing of the restriction based on scientific evidence,” Moriyama said, according to Jiji.
During the talks, Wong said Singapore “would take proactive steps by studying cases such as the EU’s latest step,” Moriyama told reporters.
Fukushima was a key agricultural area before the 2011 disaster, when a huge tsunami swamped reactors and sparked meltdowns, sending out plumes of radioactive material.
Thousands of people were evacuated and huge tracts of land were rendered unfarmable. The accident has left the Fukushima brand contaminated both domestically and internationally.
Tokyo has been encouraging countries across the globe to ease trade restriction on Japanese food products established after the Fukushima crisis.
At least 14 countries such as Australia and Thailand have abolished their restrictions on Japanese food imports, while dozens of nations continue to maintain select regulations, according to Kyodo News.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2016/01/10/japan-presses-singapore-to-ease-restrictions-on-fukushima-imports/

January 10, 2016 Posted by dunrenard | Fukushima 2016 | Food contamination | 3 Comments