With the new measures on Japanese food imports to take effect in two weeks, Nobuo Kishi, a younger brother of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, arrived in Taiwan to voice Japan’s concern over the issue.
The new rules are to require labeling on Japanese foodstuffs that shows specific places of origin, as well as certification showing that the products have passed a radiation inspection.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said that communication between the two nations is unimpeded and it believes any issues would be resolved satisfactorily.
Kishi, who is also the head of a subgroup of the Japanese Diet’s House of Councillors aiming to boost economic and cultural exchanges between the two nations, led a group of Diet members who arrived in Taipei on Wednesday.
According to Japanese media, Kishi was asked by Abe to explain to the Taiwanese public that Japanese products are safe.
Lo Koon-tsan (羅坤燦), secretary-general of the Association of East Asian Relations, the group in charge of ties with Japan in the absence of diplomatic relations, said at the ministry’s weekly news conference that Kishi’s trip to Taiwan is a “routine visit,” and the government would exchange views with the delegation on the food regulations to be implemented.
However, the government so far has no plans to put off the implementation of the new measures, Lo said, adding that he was not clear whether Kishi would touch upon food regulation issues in a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Lo said that the food issues fall within the remit of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and that MOFA would refer Japan’s concerns about the new regulations to it.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare says that food products imported from Japan would have to show their specific places of origin rather than just the country of origin, and some products, such as dairy products and tea from certain regions, would also require a radiation inspection certificate before going through customs checks.
The new measures are to take effect on May 15.
A source familiar with bilateral exchanges said that if Taiwan is to impose rigorous safety checks on food imports from Japan, it could easily lead to a “total embargo” of Japanese products from May 15 if the two countries fail to agree on the specifics, including the format of the attached certificates, required details on labels and specifics about customs checks.
A total embargo would not happen, Lo said.
Most food manufacturers would have no trouble presenting the correct documentation, but it is also possible that some food products would be detained temporarily for custom checks, he added.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-hsuan
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS