EU set to end Fukushima import restrictions on Japan food items
The European Union is poised to abolish its import restrictions enacted against Japanese food products after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
An EU source said that member countries were set to agree to the change on Thursday at the earliest, with the restrictions removed possibly this summer.
Various products from 10 prefectures are subject to analysis for radioactive contamination, including fish and wild mushrooms from Fukushima prefecture and bamboo shoots from Miyagi. Items from elsewhere in Japan must carry proof that they were not produced in those restricted areas.
The EU enacted the rules in March 2011 after the nuclear disaster, which was caused by an earthquake and tsunami. The restrictions have been loosened several times, but opposition within the European Parliament delayed a full abolishment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully removed import restrictions in 2021.