Japan Promotes Food Safety in Seoul

Seoul, June 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s agriculture ministry hosted an event in Seoul on Wednesday to highlight the safety of Japanese food in a bid to build momentum for lifting South Korea’s ban on imports of Japanese fishery products. Currently, South Korea bans imports of fishery products from eight prefectures following the March 2011 meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The Seoul event brought together more than 100 people, including local food distributors, restaurant owners and South Korean government officials. A ministry official said that Japanese fishery products exceeding safety standards are not distributed on the market, explaining inspection methods for radioactive substances currently used in Japan. The official also said that the number of countries and regions restricting imports of Japanese fishery products has declined as international understanding of their safety, based on scientific evidence, has grown. At the venue, various dishes made with Japanese ingredients, such as carpaccio of Japanese amberjack, were served to attendees. About 9.5 million South Koreans visited Japan last year. Many of them enjoy Japanese seafood products such as sushi. But persistent concerns about negative public perception of Japanese fishery products in South Korea have made it difficult for Seoul to remove the import ban. An official at a South Korean importer of fishery products said that if lifting the ban comes closer to reality, this could divide domestic public opinion and spark fierce debate. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]