BEIJING, April 30 – Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said during his visit to Beijing he hopes China will relax imports of Japanese farm products introduced following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.
“There is hope,” Nikai said during a news conference held on April 29 at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing. “We will offer cooperation as much as we can to pave the way (for this goal).”
“Responding to many farmers’ expectations is one of the party’s most important issues,” he told reporters, stressing the LDP’s stance of attaching importance on agricultural policies.
During his visit to China between April 24 and 29, Nikai urged the nation to ease the ban on Japanese farm and food products in the meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Hu Chunhua. He also met with head of China’s quarantine administration.
“There were no remarks (from the Chinese side) about China not being able to ease (the import ban),” Nikai said.
“From now on, we have to depend largely on efforts to be made by experts,” he added, calling for progress in working-level talks between the two countries.