Australia, India’s dirty energy friend Instead of being India’s dirty fuel friend, Australia can build a sustainable energy relationship with India by helping boost India’s growing renewables industry. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/11/10/comment-australia-indias-dirty-energy-friend By Ruchira Talukdar 10 NOV 2014 As heads of state prepare to arrive in Brisbane next week for the G20 summit where climate change will be conspicuous by its serious absence on the agenda, the Australian government is finalising paperwork to start exporting uranium – a highly risky fuel – and approving giant mines like Carmichael in central Queensland to ship coal – a climate change culprit – to India.
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also preparing for a four day Australia tour alongside attending G20, including addressing a joint sitting of federal Parliament. It will be the first official visit by an Indian head of state in nearly three decades, marking the beginning of a strong phase in Australia-India relations. This new cooperation might sound like good news to the Indian diaspora in Australia and make regional cooperation experts enthusiastic, but its basis in extracting and exporting dirty and dangerous forms of energy to India needs to be questioned.India is a densely populated country with many living in poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of government planning to deal with complex weather systems. This makes it ill-prepared to deal with the scale of impacts from unchecked climate change on humans and ecosystems as highlighted in the latest IPCC report – decreased river flows, increased food insecurity from fall in food production, increased tropical diseases, sea level rise and mass human displacement. Neither are its 22 running nuclear power plants managed to avoid future disasters of the scale of Fukushima or Chernobyl, as a scathing 2013 report by the Indian national auditor general on the lack of nuclear safety in India showed. Continue reading →
November 12, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
environment, India |
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Still 102,900 Bq/Kg of Cs-134/137 measured from Matsutake mushroom in Minamisoma city Iori Mochizuki Fukushima Diary, 9 Nov 14, According to Minamisoma city government, still extremely high level of Cs-134/137 is detected from agricultural products.
From their latest report of September, 102,900 Bq/Kg of Cs-134/137 was measured from Matsutake mushroom. The city government reports it was collected for self-consumption, but the ratio of Cs-134 and Cs-137 was not announced.
Also 28,240 Bq/Kg and 17,058 Bq/Kg were measured from other Matsutake mushroom samples.
2,094 ~ 14,140 Bq/Kg of Cs-134/137 were detected from “Inohana” mushroom as well.
Still high level of radioactive material is accumulated in mushroom in Minamisoma city.
http://www.city.minamisoma.lg.jp/index.cfm/10,1672,c,html/1672/h26.09.pdf
http://fukushima-diary.com/2014/11/still-102900-bqkg-cs-134137-measured-matsutake-mushroom-minamisoma-city/
November 10, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
environment, Japan |
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Hundreds in Tokyo protest Japan’s decision to restart nuclear plant, ABC News 7 Nov 14 By North Asia correspondent Matthew Carney Hundreds have protested near the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo against the decision to restart a nuclear plant.
The decision paves the way for a revival of the stalled nuclear industry more than three years after the Fukushima disaster.
Two reactors will restart at the Sendai nuclear plant, 1,000 kilometres south-west of Tokyo.
It represented a victory for Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who said the shutdown of the nuclear industry led to an over-reliance on imported and costly fossil fuels.
But the move sparked protests and critics said proper safety and evacuation plans were not yet in place……..http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-08/protests-as-japan-to-restart-sendai-nuclear-plant/5877040
November 10, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
Japan, opposition to nuclear |
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India Eyes $100 Billion Investment In Renewable Energy Clean Technica, November 9th, 2014 by Smiti Mittal The new Indian government is taking serious initiatives to boost the power sector, which is in dire need of financial and structural reforms. A large number of these reforms will be implemented in the renewable energy sector.
India’s minister for coal, power, and renewable energy last week announced that his government would push for an unprecedented $100 billion investment in the renewable energy sector over the next few years. With this plan, he also announced seemingly impossible solar energy capacity addition targets for the next five years………http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/09/india-eyes-100-billion-investment-renewable-energy/
November 10, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
India, renewable |
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NUCLEAR OPTIONS: WHAT EXPLAINS U.S.-CHINA COOPERATION ON THORIUM? Georgetown Public Policy Review MATTHEW STRABONE NOVEMBER 6, 2014
“…………This level of collaboration is particularly surprising given the commodity involved and the nature of the enterprise. Although the protocol governing the agreement has provisions for sharing important breakthroughs with the international scientific community and prohibiting military or weapons-related research, information used for commercial purposes is excluded from any required sharing and is free of any restrictive conditions. And, frankly, it is highly doubtful that any mechanism for enforcing the prohibition on military research is realistic. Thus
, China will have the opportunity to achieve a commercially dominant position in thorium development and investigate thorium’s potential to upgrade its military capabilities without the U.S. deriving a benefit from either, leading
some commentators to wonder exactly what is in it for Washington.
While this agreement seems like a no-strings-attached gift to Beijing, what are the U.S.’s motives for participating in this venture? What might it expect to gain? There are possible answers, but they require some assumptions. First, we must suppose that American decision-makers have determined that thorium is not,
as some have argued, a quick and easy path to American energy independence, and that it would not be cost-effective, at least in the short term, for American nuclear efforts to transition to thorium research. Given federal budget limitations, then, the benefits of using federal dollars to pursue thorium as an energy source appear to be limited at this time……….
Although the U.S. might have been expected to share its thorium research with privately-owned American corporations and perhaps allied states rather than with a strategic competitor (and maybe it has), the significant scientific and engineering obstacles and the resulting high cost of developing thorium-powered reactors may require the sort of long-term commitment and resources that only another world power, like China, can provide. Since the U.S. is believed to possess one of the world’s largest deposits of thorium, it may want China to assume the short-term risk and attendant expenditure of resources with the intention of cashing in on its large reserves when (or if) China’s research turns thorium into a commercially viable energy resource.”…..
November 8, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
China, politics international |
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MOU signed for the first ever Indian offshore wind project, Renewable Energy Magazine Robin WhitlockThursday, 06 November 2014 A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed to establish a Joint Venture Company for India’s first demonstration offshore wind power project along the Gujarat coast…….Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s message in the US was loud and clear that renewable energy is the way to go, it dovetails world’s concerns about climate change and it clearly enhances India’s energy security. Considering the country’s 7600 km long coastal line , Shri Goyal added that the opportunities for scaling up are humongous. The Minister also suggested for building partnership with Defence, Coast guard and Shipping to ensure seamless and time bound approval process…….Onshore wind power development is the fastest growing renewable energy option in India and has now reached a commercial stage with more than 22 GW of installed cap acity supported by funding from private investment. The country has around 7,600 kilometres of coastline, offering a huge potential for offshore wind power development. To this end, the Ministry has now taken the initiative by announcing a Draft National Offshore Wind Energy Policy as well as preparing a Draft Cabinet note on National Offshore Wind Energy Policy which will be circulated for inter-ministerial comments.http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/article/mou-signed-for-the-first-ever-indian-20141106
November 8, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
India, renewable |
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Local Rifts on Display in Japan’s Nuclear Restart Which communities are allowed to decide on reactivation is likely to be a long-term issue.The Diplomat By Clint Richards November 05, 2014 “………there is still wide debate across Japan as to what combination of local and prefectural governments should be consulted before restarts are granted, which are currently being done on a case by case basis. The two reactors located in the city of Satsuma-Sendai in Kagoshima prefecture provide a case study for how future restarts may play out, as the governments there are seeking to limit the influence of nearby municipalities.
In the lead up to this week’s events, Yoichi Miyazawa, the industry and trade minister who replaced Yuko Obuchi, visited the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Saturday. Interestingly, Obuchi said shortly before she was forced to resign over a political scandal that “obtaining consent from local communitiesis not a legal requisite for a restart.” During Miyazawa’s visit, he praised the work of the facility’s employees in the cleanup effort and said it was vital that decommissioning remain on schedule……….
while the governor’s acceptance is key, it is not the only hurdle remaining. The local Satsuma-Sendai municipal assembly approved the restart on October 28, yet the prefectural assembly’s assent is also necessary. However, according to the Asahi Shimbun the votes may already be in hand. There will be assembly deliberations from November 5 to 7, with a plenary session also on the 7th. The Asahi reports that “a majority of the 51-member assembly will approve a petition supporting the resumption of operations of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors,” with the ruling LDP commanding 35 seats, and several independents and coalition Komeito members expected to also vote in favor.
So while the necessary governmental authorities seem to be in line with the Sendai restart, the debate over exactly how many municipalities and prefectures should be involved in the process is still going strong……..The national government will likely continue to struggle to convince these communities of the benefits of restarting the country’s nuclear reactors. As the majority of voters live outside the communities that are directly allowed to decide on the issue, this is likely to be a long, uphill battle for the government in Tokyo.http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/local-rifts-on-display-in-japans-nuclear-restart/
November 6, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
Japan, politics |
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Food products ‘heavily contaminated’ by Fukushima found in US; Over 30,000 pCi/kg of cesium, also had Cobalt-60 and Antimony-124 — FDA: We found no Fukushima contamination in US food supply during routine monitoringhttp://enenews.com/food-products-heavily-contaminated-fukushima-found-30000-pcikg-cesium-cobalt-60-antimony-124-seaweed-green-tea-10000-pcikg-fda-found-fukushima-contamination-food-supply-during-routine-monitoring?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29 5 Nov 14
Dr. Robert Metzger, Radiation Safety Engineering, Inc, American Chemical Society 2013 Meeting (emphasis added): Contamination of food imports to the United States in the early days after the Fukushima accident… Contaminated food imports into the US from Japan were first observed in our laboratory on March 30, 2011, withseveral products exceeding the FDA DerivedIntervention Level (DIL) for Cesium and Iodine…
Dr. Metzger’s presentation excerpts, Feb 8, 2014:
- First observed food… contamination was found on March 30… a Sushi import was found to be contaminated with 131I
- April 5, a shipment of Koji powder was… heavily contaminated with 60Co, 124Sb, 131I, 132Te, 134Cs and 137Cs… This, and subsequent samples, exceeded the FDA [DIL]
- By July, the 1-131 had largely decayed away and the primary concern was foods that were known concentrators of some of the isotopes. The sample of the dried green tea leaves below has Cesium concentrations at 1/3 of the FDA DIL [~400 Bq/kg]
- By July, the impact of the water releases were observed in harvests of seaweed… The sample [tested] is about 1/3 of the FDA DIL for Cesium [~400 Bq/kg]
- Published results indicate [FDA] found little to no observable contamination… There are several possible explanations… We were testing samples while the accident was still in progress and therefore saw problems before the FDA started testing seriously
- Imported food products contaminated with fission products… were detected starting in late March… Conscientious importers tested their imported foods and destroyed any food that was found to be contaminated, even at levels well below the FDA DIL
FDA, May 3, 2011: FDA has not detected any longer‐lived radionuclides, such as Cs‐137, in any fish imported from Japan… FDA is performing field examinations… on approximately 40% of the seafood products… shipped to [US]… March 21, 2011 to April 25, 2011, 3,496 examinations were performed. To date, no field examinations have shown levels above background. FDA is also randomly sampling selected entries and subjecting them to laboratory analysis. To date, no gamma‐ray emitting radionuclides of concern have been detected.
FDA, Mar. 2014: FDA has no evidence [of Fukushima] radionuclides… in the US food supply at levels that would pose a public health concern… FDA has tested 1,345 [samples]… two were found to contain detectable levels of Cesium, but… posed no public health concern… 1) Ginger Powder… collected April 2011; 2) Green Tea Bag… collected August 2013… During this time, routine monitoring of the domestic US food supply was also conducted and included roughly 1,500 samples… No contamination was detected during this routine monitoring.
According to an Oct. 30 CBS interview with a professor involved with UC Berkeley-affiliated Kelp Watch: “There’s never zero risk” to someone exposed to radioactive material no matter the level.
Listen to a food importer discuss FDA testing on Nuclear Hotseat (38:00 in)
November 6, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
Fukushima 2014 |
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Making a mess of nuclear safety, Korea JoongAng Daily Nov 05,2014Adding to the long list of scandals and mishaps in the nuclear reactor business, there was a serious security leak in 2012 and last year at two of the country’s plants. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, the security codes and passwords of 19 staff at the state-run Hanbit and Gori nuclear power stations were leaked to subcontractors.
The ministry conducted security checks on power stations across the nation following online media reports about the leak in September. It found that staff shared their log-in IDs and passwords for the internal computer system with subcontracted employees of radioactive waste management companies. Night shift staff should have escorted these people from outside during their work, but instead they gave their security codes away simply because they were lazy………
Nuclear power stations are a huge national security concern because of the apocalyptic consequences if they come under terrorist or other military attacks. They require stricter security and more vigilant safety management than other public facilities. But what the government investigation exposed was beyond excuse. The ministry and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power were not aware of the lax security and carelessness until the news report. ………
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2996911&cloc=joongangdaily%7Chome%7Conline
November 6, 2014
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
safety, South Korea |
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November 01, 2014
Japan’s nuclear watchdog disputed the farm ministry’s assertion that radioactive substances churned up by debris removal work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant contaminated distant rice paddies last year.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority announced at a commissioners’ meeting Oct. 31 its estimate that 110 billion becquerels of radioactive materials spread as a result of cleanup at the No. 3 reactor building on Aug. 19, 2013.
This figure is lower than the 130 billion to 260 billion becquerels estimated by the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., in August.
Radiation readings rose significantly during debris removal that day, with radioactive substances found to have contaminated plant workers about 500 meters from the reactor building.
However, NRA Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa emphasized, “The affected area of the fallout was within the nuclear plant compound.”
“While it is difficult to simulate the spread of radioactive substances (outside the plant), it is unlikely that the debris cleanup caused the contamination (of the rice paddies),” Fuketa said.
The nuclear facility was ravaged by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami, triggering a triple meltdown.
The NRA arrived at the figure of 110 billion becquerels by analyzing radiation levels recorded at monitoring posts north-northwest of the plant on the day in question.
Radioactive fallout on this scale constitutes a Level 0 incident on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
Earlier, the farm ministry pointed to the possibility that radiation from the plant had spread to rice paddies in Minami-Soma more than 20 kilometers away, and called on TEPCO to take preventive measures in its debris removal work.
During the NRA meeting, some experts noted that despite the NRA’s estimate, it is unlikely that factors other than debris cleanup at the plant could have caused such high levels of radioactive fallout at the rice farms.
“From a broader perspective, the Fukushima No. 1 plant is responsible for the contamination,” one participant said.
Source: Asahi Shimbun
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201411010037
November 2, 2014
Posted by dunrenard |
Japan | Fukushima Daiichi |
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A panel is lifted by crane at the No. 1 reactor building of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant
in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 31
November 01, 2014
OKUMA, Fukushima Prefecture–Tokyo Electric Power Co. has removed part of the canopy above a reactor building at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to gauge the effects of anti-scattering agents pumped inside.
It was the first time in three years that debris inside the No. 1 reactor building was visible from the outside. The structure, which was destroyed in a hydrogen explosion a day after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, was covered with the canopy in October of that year.
The removal on Oct. 31 of one of six panels that make up the canopy is the initial stage in work to remove debris and nuclear fuel from inside the structure.
TEPCO drilled holes into the panel, which measures 42 meters by 7 meters and weighs 32 tons, on Oct. 22. It then sprayed anti-scattering resin inside to prevent radioactive substances from stirring up into the air.
The panel was removed to survey the effects of the resin.
The work was performed by a large crane that slowly hoisted the panel and lowered it to the ground, taking about one hour and 40 minutes.
The panel is scheduled to be returned by the end of November. TEPCO plans to start dismantling the entire canopy on a full-fledged basis in March 2015.
Source: Asahi Shimbun
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201411010028
November 2, 2014
Posted by dunrenard |
Japan | Fukushima Daiichi |
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Oct 31 (Reuters) – The governor of Kagoshima prefecture, home to Kyushu Electric Power Co’s Sendai plant, said restarting the nuclear facility was in its “final stage” in a positive sign for the industry, as the trade minister reiterated support for reviving idled reactors.
All 48 of Japan’s nuclear reactors remain offline more than three years after an earthquake and tsunami set off meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is pushing to restart reactors that meet new regulatory guidelines.
Kyushu Electric’s two-reactor Sendai plant, located 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo in Satsumasendai, was the first to pass the independent regulator’s safety guidelines last month.
“We are in the final stage on the issue of the Sendai plant’s restart,” said Kagoshima governor Yuichiro Ito during a meeting with newly appointed trade minister Yoichi Miyazawa on Friday.
Japan has said it would defer to local authorities to approve any restart.
The city assembly of Satsumasendai voted in favour of restarting the plant this week and Kagoshima’s prefectural assembly is expected to vote to finalise the restart next Friday, local politicians say.
Only eight lawmakers out of 49 state assemblymen are opposed to restarting the plant.
Ito did not give a timeline for a possible restart of the plant, but any return to operations is seen as unlikely until next year.
Miyazawa, who was appointed to head the powerful trade ministry after the sudden resignation of his predecessor over a political funds scandal, said he planned to tour the nuclear plant and talk to local politicians in Kagoshima next Monday, Nov. 3.
Source: Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/31/japan-nuclear-restart-idUSL4N0SQ34T20141031
November 2, 2014
Posted by dunrenard |
Japan | Kagoshima, Nuclear Plant Restart, Sendai |
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October 31, 2014
The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) announced on Oct. 30 that removal of melted fuel from the No. 1 reactor at the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant would be delayed by five years, until fiscal 2025.
They also announced that work to remove spent fuel from a cooling pool will not begin until fiscal 2019, two years later than originally planned. The delays are the result of the removal of debris and the installation of cranes taking longer than expected.
The announcement marks the first delays in the decommissioning schedule. TEPCO said, however, that the move would not result in an overall delay to the decommissioning process, which is expected to take 30 to 40 years.
The No. 1 reactor houses 392 fuel rods in its cooling pool, while melted fuel remains in the nuclear pressure vessel and reactor containment vessel. In a meeting on Oct. 30, the government and TEPCO decided to adopt a two-step process with separate measures to remove fuel from the cooling pool and melted fuel. First, a cover will be installed on the top floor of the reactor building. After a special crane for the fuel pool removes fuel, then workers will use a container and crane setup to remove melted fuel. The government and TEPCO say that they chose this method because there are many unknown factors in the removal of melted nuclear fuel, and because they hope to remove the fuel from the cooling pool at an early stage.
At the No. 1 reactor, preparations began this month to remove a cover designed to prevent the spread of radioactive materials, so that debris could be removed from the top floor. This process itself was delayed by six months. Because of this, and the fact that the two-step process is laborious, it is believed the government and TEPCO decided to delay the start of fuel removal work.
At the No. 2 reactor, meanwhile, since radiation levels are high and decontamination of the reactor building is difficult, officials have decided to reconsider the method of removing nuclear fuel. Officials are set to decide on a method in fiscal 2016, but there is a high possibility that removal work will fall behind schedule.
In August, work at the No. 3 reactor was suspended after a large piece of debris fell into the cooling pool while debris was being removed from around the pool’s edge. Officials plan to remove fuel from the pool next fiscal year, but the outlook for this work is unclear.
It is expected that work to remove fuel from the No. 4 reactor pool will be completed this year.
The decommissioning schedule was established under the Democratic Party of Japan-led administration in December 2011. It was revised in June last year, accelerating the removal of melted fuel by up to a year and a half.
The disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, triggered by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, resulted in core meltdowns at reactor Nos. 1-3. Nuclear fuel has passed through the reactor pressure vessels, and caused damage to the containment vessels. The government and TEPCO plan to fill the containment vessels with water and remove about 450 metric tons of melted fuel. But it remains unknown where the melted fuel actually lies. Furthermore, officials have located only two damaged areas in the containment vessels of the three reactors.
In the Three Mile Island meltdown in the United States, it took six years before the removal of melted fuel was begun, though the pressure vessel was not damaged. Fukushima presents conditions that are far more difficult, and it is unclear when the work can be completed.
Source: Mainichi
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141031p2a00m0na014000c.html
November 2, 2014
Posted by dunrenard |
Japan | Fukushima Daiichi |
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The Rokkasho project ( the nuclear waste treatment plant in Japan) postponed for the 21th time!
Too many risks … Will Japan finally take the only right decision: to never restart reactors ?
To give up the Rokkasho could just lead them to do that…
October 31, 2014
AOMORI–Complications in safety screening have led to the 21st postponement of work to complete a key nuclear processing facility in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture.
The latest delay, announced Oct. 30 by Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd., the operator of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, could affect future operations at nuclear plants across the country.
“This is the only facility (to process spent nuclear fuel in Japan),” Japan Nuclear Fuel President Kenji Kudo said at a news conference here. “We are doing our best.”
Under the government’s plans, the Rokkasho plant will recycle plutonium in spent nuclear fuel generated at nuclear power plants across the nation, helping to reduce the amount of radioactive waste accumulating in storage pools at the plants.
In January, Japan Nuclear Fuel applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for a safety inspection–a precondition to proceed with the construction of the facility.
The company expected the safety screening to end around June and planned to complete work on the processing facility by the end of October.
But discussions for the inspections only started in September because of the risk factors unique to the Rokkasho plant, such as complex piping between buildings and the huge amount of high-level liquid radioactive materials stored there.
In addition, the reprocessing plant came under stricter NRA safety standards after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami triggered the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The extra time needed for the safety screening led to the decision by Japan Nuclear Fuel to postpone the completion date to March 2016.
The facility was originally scheduled to be finished in 1997. Just a year ago, Japan Nuclear Fuel announced its 20th postponement.
Under the latest schedule, Japan Nuclear Fuel plans to pass the NRA screening by June next year and complete construction in the following nine months.
But approval from the nuclear industry watchdog is not guaranteed.
“It is not clear at all how things will work out for the processing plant,” an NRA official said.
Currently, all nuclear reactors in Japan are offline, and electric power companies have applied for NRA screenings to restart their reactors.
With the continued delays at the Rokkasho facility, its storage pools have filled to near capacity with spent fuel brought from nuclear power plants throughout Japan.
Even if the electric power companies can restart their nuclear reactors, they could be forced to shut them down if the Rokkasho plant cannot accept additional nuclear fuel and their own storage pools become filled.
Under the planned fuel recycling program, plutonium and uranium in spent fuel will be removed through chemical processing at the Rokkasho plant. Processed high-level radioactive substances will be stored on the site after being encased in glass.
Source: Asahi Shimbun
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201410310140
November 1, 2014
Posted by dunrenard |
Japan | reprocessing |
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One country is at least becoming aware of the food contamination risks and taking measures to protect its citizens’ health. How about the others?
Oct 31, 2014
TAIPEI – Taiwanese authorities are considering requiring production area certificates for all food imports from Japan and radiation check certificates for some, according to informed sources.
The authorities plan to implement the new policy in 2015 after gauging public opinion.
Following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Taiwan banned imports of food products from five prefectures, including Ibaraki, Tochigi and Chiba.
In addition, radiation checks have been conducted on vegetables, fruit and fisheries products imported from Japan.
Production area certificates are currently not required.
Under the envisioned policy, Taiwan would require production area certificates for all food imports from Japan and radiation check certificates by the Japanese government for those subject to current radiation checks and certain other products, such as tea and biscuits.
Consumer groups in Taiwan have been calling for stronger regulations on Japanese food imports.
Source: Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/31/national/taiwan-demand-certificates-japanese-food-imports/
November 1, 2014
Posted by dunrenard |
Japan, Taiwan | Fukushima continuing |
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