The government might review its ban on food imports from five Japanese prefectures in line with global practice, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday.
“It is time to reassess Taiwan’s policy on Japanese food imports. The government might follow the US and adopt risk-based restrictions, instead of the current regionally based ban,” Chen said.
Food imports from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba prefectures have been suspended since shortly after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in March 2011.
Photo: CNA
The government would not allow the entry of radiation-tainted food, but should ease the rules on non-contaminated products, which would be in line with international trade practices, Chen said.
The government must differentiate between “Japanese foods” and “radiation-tainted foods,” he said.
If food products from the prefectures are allowed to be imported, the ministry would do everything it can to ensure their safety, “but there is no timetable for that to happen,” Chen said.
“Taiwan cannot distance itself from the issue,” Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Ho Chi-kung (何啟功) said. “It is not good to maintain the ban for so many years” when nations worldwide are gradually relaxing their restrictions.
“Some banned food products from the five prefectures are safe,” he said, adding that food at Chiba’s Narita International Airport might contain ingredients from the prefecture.
Chen and Ho’s remarks came just days after Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Deputy Secretary-General Fan Chen-kuo (范振國) said that continuation of the ban might jeopardize the nation’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned