Photo of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te with sushi and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with pineapple. [Screenshots from Lai Ching-te's Facebook and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's X account, respectively. Yonhap News

Taiwan has fully lifted its sanctions on imports of food from Fukushima and other Japanese prefectures, following China's suspension of Japanese seafood imports following remarks by Japanese Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting intervention in the event of a Taiwan emergency.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency and AFP, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 21st that it would lift sanctions such as requiring certificates of origin and radiation inspections for food imports from Fukushima and four other prefectures, and restore normal management.

It was added that since 2011, 270,000 cases of Japanese food have been tested for radiation during border inspections, with a non-compliance rate of 0%, and the risk of additional radiation exposure is "negligible."

The measure was also explained as a return to "international trends," and that risk management based on scientific standards will continue. The measure takes effect immediately.

In response to the explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the leakage of contaminated water following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the Taiwanese government had completely banned imports of food from Fukushima and nearby prefectures. Partial sanctions were eased in 2022 and 2024.

With this measure, only China (including Hong Kong and Macao), Russia, and South Korea remain as countries maintaining specific import control measures on Japanese food, according to the FDA.

This action comes amidst escalating conflict between China and Japan following remarks by Japanese Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting intervention in the event of a Taiwan emergency.

After Minister Takaichi suggested on the 7th that Japan could militarily intervene in self-defense if Taiwan were attacked by China, China has resorted to economic retaliation, including advising citizens to refrain from travel and study abroad and resuming its suspension of Japanese seafood imports.

Subsequently, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te posted a photo of himself eating sushi made with Japanese seafood on the 20th, and Representative to Japan Lee Ying-yuan, who is equivalent to Taiwan's ambassador to Japan, also urged active purchase of Japanese agricultural and fishery products on the same day.

FDA Director-General Chiang Yu-chi denied some interpretations that this measure was to support Japan, stating that "it was simply that the administrative procedures coincided with this time."

The FDA added that items banned from distribution within Japan, as well as wild meat and mushrooms from Fukushima Prefecture, will remain prohibited from import into Taiwan.

The Japanese government stated that it "welcomes Taiwan's decision as support for the recovery of the disaster-stricken areas (from the Great East Japan Earthquake)" and that it "has requested the early lifting of regulations based on scientific evidence from Taiwan through various opportunities."

Japan's Kyodo News explained, "Amid China's effective suspension of Japanese seafood imports in response to Minister Takaichi's remarks regarding a Taiwan emergency, the Lai Ching-te administration has conversely removed import barriers, thus demonstrating a friendly stance towards Japan."

Yonhap News