Public Worry Grows as Taiwan Lifts Restrictions on Fukushima Food Imports
Summary Report by Taiwan Weekly
The government announced on February 8 Taiwan would lift the ban on food from five counties and cities around Fukushima, Japan. Spokesman Luo Bing-cheng of the Executive Yuan stated that this will help Taiwan joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). However, the government's opening of nuclear-polluted food has caused social controversy. The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) is forming a nationwide alliance of 22 county and city council caucuses to oppose lifting restrictions on nuclear-contaminated food imports. A Japanese journalist in Taiwan said that the Japanese government's use of political means to pressure Taiwan to open up is an immoral action.
On February 8, the Executive Yuan announced the opening of food imports from five prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Chiba, ending the 11-year import ban. The spokesman Luo Bing-cheng said that when more than 40 countries around the world have gradually lifted the ban of Fukushima food, facing Japan's appeal for lifting the ban, we cannot avoid it. After ten days of notice, the official announcement will be implemented in late February at the earliest. The food import ban will be changed from the prohibition of "specific areas" to the prohibition of "specific risk items", and three categories of food such as wild bird and animal meat, mushrooms, and rapeseed produced in the above mentioned five prefectures of Fukushima are still not allowed to apply for import.
Presidential Office spokesperson Chang Dun-han also confirmed on February 10 that President Tsai had an oversea telephone contact with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of January, and had an in-depth exchange of views on issues such as Japan's food ban measures, Taiwan's entry into the CPTPP, and exchanges on various aspects between Taiwan and Japan.
In responding to the government's surprise announcement of the opening of food from Japan's nuclear disaster areas, the KMT caucus of the Legislative Yuan has held its first public hearing on February 10. Hayata Takefumi, a senior Japanese media journalist who has lived in Taiwan for more than 30 years, said that local radiation medical experts in Fukushima admitted that radiation pollution is still very critical and the locals have deep fear over the aftermath of nuclear leakage.
Mr. Hayata indicated that the labeling of Fukushima food in Japan was not as accurate as he imagined, and "the biggest problem is the counterfeit of the certificate of origin." In addition, Taiwan's ability to detect Fukushima food and its examining capacity remains to be observed, and there were doubts about food safety inspection. Japan has the responsibility to provide food radiation value data and the follow-up inspection costs. "It's a pity that so far the Japanese government has failed to do so."
Former Minister of Health Yang Chih-liang stated that the Tsai administration claimed that the food would be tested according to the highest international standards. However, the problem is, dioxins, environmental hormones, pesticides, herbicides, plasticizers, air pollution, and heavy metal land pollution are all supposed to be tested in accordance with international standards, with adding these up, the result is absolutely a lasting disaster detrimental to many generations to come.
On February 11, the KMT formed a nationwide alliance of local council caucuses from 22 counties and cities. Chairman Eric Chu led the Taipei City Council Caucus to declare that "in order to safeguard the food safety of the people, the KMT will make every effort to screening the process." Chu emphasized that Japanese products are welcome to Taiwan, but nuclear-polluted food cannot be accepted. The government should not deceive the general public with the pretext of joining the CPTPP. South Korea, which is also applying to join the CPTPP, has stricter restrictions on nuclear-polluted food than that of Taiwan, and has completely banned aquatic products from eight prefectures and cities in Japan.
Mr. Chu emphasized that the caucus alliance of all 22 counties and cities in Taiwan are strongly defending food safety. Through the local autonomy regulations, it is strictly forbidden for any nuclear-polluted food to enter the stomach of the people. More importantly, there is no room for nuclear-polluted food in campus. He urges that the mayors of non-KMT-run counties also to stand out bravely to set stricter standards.
Hau Lung-pin, former mayor of Taipei and leader of the 2018 referendum against importing nuclear-contaminated food, believes that if there is no way to ensure the safety of food from nuclear disaster areas, it should not be imported at this time, but the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has made a political choice and violated the resolution of the 7.79 million people's referendum. At this time, the opposition can only make remedies such as strengthening supervision, labeling, and inspection, so that food from nuclear disaster area cannot enter the campus, and the local government has a lot to do.
The KMT has confirmed that in the coming new session of the Legislative Yuan, it will propose to revise the "School Health Act," regulating that the school lunches "prohibit the use of food produced from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba prefectures of Japan", and ban the nuclear-polluted food from entering the school.
According to Director-General Wu Hsiu-mei of the Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, at present, it is stipulated that when importing foods with safety risk from Japan, two certificates must be attached, one is the radiation test certificate, and the other is the certificate of origin. Both are inspected by the Japanese side.
On March 11, 2011, the so-called “311 Earthquake” occurred in Japan, resulting in a radiation leakage accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Globally, there were 55 countries and regions have immediately implemented measures restricting imports of Japanese food, and 41 countries and regions have completely lifted the ban so far.
Some countries require products to be attached with a radiation inspection certificate. South Korea has banned aquatic products and tea from eight prefectures including Fukushima.
After Taiwan announced the lifting of the ban, only mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong remain as areas in the world which completely ban the import of food from Fukushima area.