Japanese Representative to Taiwan Mikio Numata yesterday expressed regret over the referendum vote in favor of maintaining an import ban on agricultural products and food from five Japanese prefectures.
The issue was politicized, Numata said in a statement, adding that Taiwan and Japan should work together to prevent the referendum result from harming ties and economic exchanges.
“We will continue to do our best to convince friends in Taiwan of the safety of Japanese food products and we sincerely hope that the ban will be lifted soon,” Numata said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-initiated referendum asked voters if they agreed that the government should maintain the ban on imports of agricultural products and food from areas in Japan imposed after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster of March 2011, including Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi and Chiba prefectures.
Of the nearly 10 million valid votes cast, 78 percent were in favor of continuing the ban (7,791,856), while 22 percent were against it (2,231,425).
The ban was imposed during the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT.
It tightened restrictions in 2015 — drawing strong criticism from the Japanese government — when products from those prefectures were discovered on store shelves.
After taking office on May 20, 2016, President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration said it would consider lifting the ban on food imports from all but Fukushima Prefecture, but the idea met with widespread opposition.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare would maintain the ban, given the results of the referendum, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said.
“The government’s stance on the issue remains unchanged: We will safeguard the health of Taiwanese by making sure that imported foods are safe to eat,” she said.
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