China tightens scrutiny of Japanese food, citing safety reasons

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. China will tighten its scrutiny on food from Japan and maintain curbs on some Japanese imports, the government said on Friday, citing Tokyo's decision to discharge treated radioactive water from the crippledFukushima plant into the sea, Reuters reports.

The Japanese plan,approvedon Tuesday by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has faced opposition at home and abroad. Japan insists the releases will be safe and meet global standards.

China's customs administration said in a statement it was stepping up monitoring of products including seafood and keeping curbs on produce from one-fifth of Japan's prefectures for safety reasons.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 disaster, China banned the import of food and agricultural products from five prefectures. It later widened its ban to 12 prefectures, before removing two of them.

China will "strengthen supervision" and "rigorously examine" certificates for food imports, especially aquatic products, from the other non-banned prefectures, the administration said, emphasising restrictions on the 10 prefectures remain in place. Japan's government maintains the process is safe as it has treated the water - enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools - used to cool the fuel rods of the Fukushima plant after it was damaged by the earthquake and resulting tsunami.