UK Lifts Restrictions on Imports of Japanese Food

The U.K. lifted restrictions on imports of Japanese food from the Fukushima prefecture, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said June 29, according to an unofficial translation. The U.K. imposed the restrictions to prevent access to radioactive substances in Japanese foods following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown incident. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the lifting of the restrictions and said it "will continue to work toward the early elimination of the remaining import restrictions in countries and regions including the EU." The Guardian reported that supermarket chains Tesco and Waitrose said there are no immediate plans to sell goods from Fukushima, but many of the items will be available at Japanese restaurants and specialty stores in England, Scotland and Wales. The move to lift the restrictions was allowed after the U.K. Food Standards Agency dropped its limit of 100 becquerels, a radioactivity measure, per kilogram contained in Japanese food.