BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union is expected to announce the lifting of restrictions on Japanese food imports, imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Japanese officials said they expected the announcement at the end of a summit between European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“That would be a great sign of solidarity from the EU side,” foreign affairs press secretary Hikariko Ono told a small group of journalists ahead of the summit.
The restrictions have been in place since an earthquake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant on Japan’s east coast north of Tokyo, triggering multiple meltdowns.
Some food consignments can only come into the EU with an accompanying certificate showing that they do not exceed maximum levels of radioactive caesium isotopes.
This applies to wild mushrooms, some fish and fishery products from Fukushima and nine other prefectures. Bamboo shoots from Miyagi province, for example, are also included.
Products from elsewhere must be able to prove that they are not from the specified areas.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Conor Humphries)
