Foods made in Japan are subject to strict safety inspections. Taking advantage of Taiwan's planned easing of its import restrictions on Japanese food, the Japanese government needs to step up its efforts to dispel misconceptions about Japanese food products overseas.
Taiwan said it will lift a ban on imports of food products from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Chiba, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures as early as late February. The ban has been in place since the 2011 accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The administration of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has been looking for a way to lift the ban, but there has been deep-rooted opposition from consumers. In a 2018 referendum, lifting the ban was not approved. The Tsai administration's decision to resume imports is a welcome development.
