TOKYO, July 21 ― Hong Kong is set to relax some import restrictions that have been in place on Japanese foods following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, according to the Japanese government.
From July 24, Hong Kong will resume imports of fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products from four prefectures neighboring area of Fukushima, on condition that they pass radiation tests, Japan’s agriculture ministry said.
The move comes after the World Trade Organization (WTO) in March backed a Japanese complaint against South Korea’s import ban on seafood as well as additional testing requirements on agricultural foods.
In the wake of the earthquake and nuclear disaster in 2011, like South Korea and other countries, Hong Kong banned the imports of fresh produce and dairy products from Fukushima and four neighboring prefectures – Ibarai, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba.
The import ban on produce from Fukushima, however, will stay in place.
Hong Kong has been Japan’s top destination for its food exports since 2005. In 2017, Japan shipped its foods to Hong Kong valued at 187.7 billion yen, accounting for more than 20 percent of the total food exports.
Many countries have removed or relaxed restriction measures on produce from Japan, but still some including South Korea, China and Taiwan still have the measures in place up to now.