The Philippines has lifted its import ban on meat and agricultural products coming from Fukushima prefecture in Japan, nine years after a meltdown occurred in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, in a joint press conference with Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. on January 9, announced the lifting of the ban, which was imposed by the Philippines following the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima prefecture in 2011.
The ban covered meat, fruit, vegetables, and seafood from affected areas.
“With this lifting, we hope that safe food from Fukushima, as well as other parts of Japan, will reach many people in the Philippines,” Motegi said, noting that the ban was lifted on January 9.
In May 2019, the Philippines also lifted the ban on the importation of several fish species from Fukushima Prefecture, which was likewise imposed after the nuclear meltdown in the area. The ban had covered species such as cherry salmon, sand lance, Japanese dace, and ayu.
