On December 18, 2020, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued an interim report on monitoring results from April to September based on the implementation and monitoring of the 2020 imported food monitoring plan.

From April to September 2020, the number of imported food was 1.164 million pieces (1.298 million pieces), and the weight was 11.684 million tons (12.488 million tons). Implemented monitoring and inspection of 98,200 items (112,000 items) of imported food, of which 33,000 items were ordered to be inspected (35,000 items), 25,000 items were strengthened (31,000 items), and 41,000 items were independently inspected (49,000 items). Among them, 305 (407) products violated the law and were returned or destroyed. (Note: The figures in parentheses refer to the same period last year.)

The specific unqualified conditions are as follows:

· Violation of Article 13: Food specifications, including microorganisms, agricultural and animal residues, and additives, are the most frequent, with a total of 194 cases;

· Violation of Article 6: Aflatoxin, cyanide and other toxic and hazardous substances, a total of 88 cases;

· Violation of Article 12: the use of substances other than designated additives, a total of 23; Violation of Article 18: a total of 8 unqualified packaging materials;

· Violation of Article 109: No meat hygiene certificate attached, 1 piece in total;

· Violation of Article 62: Toy Specifications, 1 piece in total.

From April to September 2019, the implementation of ordered inspections and strengthened monitoring of China is as follows:

1. Implementation of enhanced monitoring products and projects include: acetochlor in adzuki beans, diflubenzuron in edamame, fluoxyfop in okra, isoprocarb and fencarb in perilla, and scallions in Dichlorvos and dibromophos, oxytetracycline in bee pupae, acetochlor in matsutake;

2. The products and items subject to order inspection include: sodium cyclamate in some processed foods, triadimenol in carrots, thiamethoxam in garlic sprouts, and haloxyfop-ethyl in potatoes;

3. Carry out mandatory inspections for all countries: 6356 aflatoxins in almonds, peppers, peanuts, etc. were inspected, and 44 unqualified were detected; 197 cyanides in cassava and cyanide-containing beans were inspected, and unqualified were detected 1 case; 113 cases of salted salmon roe were inspected for nitrite, and 0 cases were found to be unqualified.

4.The inspection of orders implemented in China: vegetables (onions, carrots, potatoes, etc.), clams for pesticide residues (endrin, chlorpyrifos, thiamethoxam, dieldrin (including aldrin), triadimenol, pyridine 13,000 cases of chlorprofop, procymidone, promethazine, etc. were inspected, and 15 cases were found to be unqualified; 3,990 cases of paralytic shellfish toxins and diarrheal shellfish toxins of bivalve molluscs were inspected, but none were detected. 0 pieces were qualified; 325 pieces of sodium cyclamate in processed foods were inspected, and 0 pieces were unqualified; 237 pieces of aflatoxins were inspected for pepper, sunflower seeds, and sorghum, and 0 pieces were unqualified; residues of eels and soft-shelled turtles 85 veterinary drugs (enrofloxacin, oxolinic acid, sulfamethazine) were inspected, and 0 were found to be unqualified.

For more details：https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000706902.pdf、https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000706907.pdf 

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