Photo/Illutration A senior government official in Taipei on Feb. 8 explains Taiwan’s decision to ease restrictions on Japanese food imports. (Provided by Taiwan’s Executive Yuan)

Taiwan’s decision to substantially ease restrictions on Japanese food imports may not go as far as Japan had hoped.

But it could be a significant step toward the elimination of import curbs on Japanese food products that countries imposed in the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Taiwan banned food imports from the five prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba, with the exception of alcoholic beverages.

The ban remained in place despite falling radioactivity levels and progress in decontamination efforts.

Taiwan at one point considered reopening its door to Japanese food imports, but dropped the idea due to opposition from the safety-conscious public.

In a policy shift, Taiwan announced it will lift the ban on Japanese food imports later this month, with the exception of some products, including mushrooms and game meat.

Taiwan is the fourth largest overseas market for Japan’s agricultural, forestry and fisheries products.

The decision is expected to contribute to the reconstruction of areas affected by the nuclear disaster.

Still, products from the five prefectures must be accompanied by reports on radiation safety inspections. The requirement will impose a burden on businesses.

A total of 14 countries and regions, including Taiwan, China and South Korea, still restrict food imports from Japan due to safety concerns stemming from the nuclear accident.

Tokyo should take advantage of Taiwan’s policy change to advance negotiations with other countries on the removal of restrictions.

Taiwan’s move is believed to be aimed at winning support from Japan for its bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral trade agreement.

This offers a good opportunity for Japan to press China, which has also applied to join the agreement, and South Korea, which has shown an interest in becoming a member, to follow suit.

China has maintained particularly strict restrictions on Japanese food imports. It effectively bans imports of many food products from all over Japan, with the exception of seafood.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the Japanese government has explained that Japanese food products are safe to consume from a scientific viewpoint and demanded early elimination of import restrictions.

To be sure, Japanese safety standards for food shipments are stricter than the international norm.

But one lesson learned from negotiations on the matter over the years is that claims of the safety of Japanese food based on science alone are not enough to persuade trading partners to relax import restrictions.

The rules of the World Trade Organization give countries broad discretion over import curbs on food products that they deem to be a potential safety hazard to the lives of their people.

Countries are not obliged to follow the international standards. Each country has the right to decide how much risk it is prepared to tolerate through social consensus.

In fact, the WTO’s Appellate Body in 2019 effectively approved South Korea’s restrictions on Japanese food imports.

Japan lost the trust of the international community when the nuclear disaster hit.

To regain that trust, it is vital for Tokyo to listen humbly to the voices of other countries and rebuild its relationship with each of them.

Japan’s neighbors have voiced concerns about the government’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

If Japan goes ahead with the plan, it needs to disclose related information to ensure transparency in the process and provide conscientious and meticulous explanations about what is involved.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 12

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