Japan To Issue Radiation Documentation For Food Exports

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The central government will certify that food bound for export has been tested for radiation beginning in April, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced Friday.

Until now, localities have handled the majority of the burdensome tasks, which were not conducted uniformly and were impractical. The central government hopes to increase food exports by taking over the paperwork.

More than 40 countries and regions have implemented restrictions on foods produced in Japan since the Fukushima Daiichi disaster of 2011. Local governments issued about 57,000 certificates in fiscal 2011 because so many countries required such documentation as results from a radioactive material inspection for the imported food.

(The Nikkei, March 2 morning edition)

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