A new measure that will tighten regulations on Japanese food imports will be enforced from May 15 as scheduled, a Cabinet spokesman said earlier this month.
Sun Lih-chyun reaffirmed the government’s stance after Japan again criticized the new measure.
Sun said that Japan should more aggressively check the labeling of place of origin of its exports and provide Taiwan with any false reporting information resulting from the checks.
Food imports from the Japanese prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba have been banned in Taiwan since those areas were suspected to have suffered radiation contamination as a result of a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011.
Under the new regulations taking effect on May 15, importers of Japanese food products will be required to present certificates of origin to prove that the imports are not from any of the five prefectures. For some imports such as tea, baby food, and dairy and aquatic products, radiation inspection certificates will also be required.