The European Union, Norway and Iceland lifted import restrictions on food from parts of Japan imposed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in northeastern Japan.

As a result of these changes, the number of countries and territories maintaining import controls due to radiological safety concerns is reduced to nine, with Switzerland expected to follow suit on August 15. As many as 55 economies imposed restrictions at one point.

Japan's lifting of radionuclide testing requirements and offering safety certification for certain seafood and produce is good news for producers in Fukushima and the other nine affected prefectures (Miyagi, Yamagata, Ibaraki, Gunma, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano, Iwate and Shizuoka).

The EU has gradually eased restrictions in recent years, and the last foods to be tested included wild mushrooms, some fish and wild food plants.

On July 13, the 27-nation European bloc announced its decision to end the measures on scientific grounds at an EU-Japan summit in Brussels, Belgium, attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, European Council President Charles Michel, and European Commission President Ursula Feng. Delaine.

The e EU decision comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded in early July that Japan's plans to release radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea met international safety standards and would have negligible radioactive effects on humans and the environment.

But in a statement issued on July 13, the EU called on the Japanese government to continue monitoring radioactivity in domestic products, paying particular attention to "fish, fishery products and seaweed close to the contaminated water discharge site," and to make the results public.

The planned release has raised concerns among some, prompting China and Hong Kong, which have maintained restrictions, to step up radiation checks on seafood imports from Japan.

The United States, Israel and Singapore lifted all post-Fukushima import restrictions on Japanese food in 2021, while the United Kingdom and Indonesia lifted import restrictions on Japanese food in 2022.