April 28, 2011

Japan may issue seafood safety certificate

Japan is pondering over issuing safety certificates for its seafood exports, in a bid to ease foreign fears over radiation contamination, local reports said Wednesday (Apr 27).

Japan is working with its top trade partner China on the certificate in an effort to persuade Beijing to relax rules on Japanese seafood products.

Some 35 countries and regions have imposed restrictions on Japanese farm products, as the crippled Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant continues to contaminate the environment.

China, the second largest importer of Japanese seafood after Hong Kong, has banned food imports from Fukushima and the surrounding areas and is asking for safety certificates from Tokyo on food products from other regions.