Taiwan on Friday lifted all remaining restrictions on food imports from Japan, ending more than a decade of controls imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The move is widely viewed as another show of solidarity with Tokyo, following reports that China may halt purchases of Japanese food over its dispute with Japan’s new prime minister.
Taipei had previously banned food products from five Japanese regions near Fukushima, gradually relaxing the measures in 2022 and 2024. With Friday’s announcement, all import rules now return to pre-disaster standards.
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said the decision was backed by extensive safety data.
“Japanese food safety management measures return to normal,” the agency said, noting the change takes immediate effect.
The TFDA added that Taiwan has conducted radiation tests on more than 270,000 batches of Japanese food since 2011, all of which passed.
“Since 2011, Taiwan has conducted border inspections on over 270,000 batches of Japanese food for radiation testing, with a failure rate of 0 percent,” the statement said.It further described the radiation risk from Japanese food as “negligible”, citing scientific assessments.
With Taiwan’s full relaxation, only China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia and South Korea still maintain restrictions on Japanese food imports.
The announcement comes as cross-strait tensions remain high. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has increasingly escalated political and military pressure on the island.
On Thursday, images of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te holding a plate of sushi circulated widely online — a symbolic gesture underscoring Taipei’s political and diplomatic support for Japan.
Lai, who has repeatedly criticised Beijing’s actions, said China’s behaviour is “severely” undermining regional peace amid the latest dispute.
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