At the meeting, President Widodo declared the complete lifting of restrictions on imports of Japanese food products imposed in the wake of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi in 2011.
Indonesia had required the submission of radioactive material inspection certificates for vegetables, etc. produced in the seven Japanese prefectures of Miyagi, Yamagata, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Niigata, Yamanashi, and Nagano, but those will no longer be needed.
At a press conference held in the afternoon of the same day, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary KIHARA Seiji said, “The decision encourages people in the affected areas, and Prime Minister Kishida conveyed his gratitude. The complete elimination of restrictions on imports of Japanese food products is a vitally important issue. Taking advantage of various opportunities, the government has explained food safety and urged the early cancellation of import restrictions, based on scientific grounds.”
Kihara went on to say that the government would continue its efforts, in coordination with related ministries and agencies, to win the lifting of remaining restrictions by countries and regions around the world as soon as possible.
Currently, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Russia, the EU and EFTA (Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Iceland), Northern Ireland, and French Polynesia maintain controls on imports from Fukushima and elsewhere.
