G/SPS/GEN/1233  
 
15 March 2013  
(13-1440)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 CURRENT STATUS AFTER THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENT 
COMMUNICATION FROM JAPAN 
The following communication, received on 15 March 2013, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Japan. 
 
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 1.  The purpose of this document is to update th e situation of radioactivity in Japanese food two 
years after the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power 
Plant in March 2011. The Government of Japanese has taken comprehensive risk management 
measures, and as a result, the situation has significantly improved as evident in the up-to-date monitoring data compared to the situation right after the accident. The level of actual 
contamination is far below the guideline levels which the CODEX General Standard for 
Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CODEX STAN 193-1995, "GSCTFF" hereinafter) defined as safe for human consumption. 
1  INTERNATIONAL STANDARD 
2.  The "Guideline levels for radionuclides in food contaminated following a nuclear or radiological 
emergency" are included in the GSCTFF. Guideline levels for representative radionuclides such as Cs-137 are set at 1,000 Bq/kg for both infant food s and other foods. The guideline elaborates the 
implication of the guideline levels: "As far as generic radiological protection of food consumers is 
concerned, when radionuclide levels in food do not exceed the corresponding Guideline Levels, the 
food should be considered as safe for human consumption." In addition, according to the fact 
sheets prepared by the CODEX secretariat, "The Guideline levels for six radionuclides, applicable 
for one year following a nuclear accident, were  based on very conservative assumptions and 
intended to be used in international trade as value below which no food control restriction needed 
to be applied." 
2  RISK MANAGEMENT MEASURES AND CURRENT STATUS IN JAPAN 
3.  Japan has set the limits at 100 Bq/kg for gene ral foods and 50 Bq/kg for infant foods and milk, 
adopting 1 mSv per year, consistent with the Codex Guideline Levels, as an intervention 
exemption level. While the Codex Guideline Levels  are based on Import/Production Factor of 10% 
according to international statistical data, the Japanese limits are based on the assumption that 50% of nationally distributed foods are contaminat ed. Japanese national and regional governments 
have conducted decontamination of farm land, strict control over feeds and other agricultural 
materials and a risk-based comprehensive monitoring scheme since the nuclear power plant accident. In cases exceeding the limits, the foods are not allowed for marketing. Moreover, 
regional governments are required to prohibit further distribution of such food items from the 
surrounding regions and identify the source of contamination. 
4.  The Government of Japan compiled the results of monitoring inspections and published them at 
the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website 
(http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/2011eq/index.html ). Despite the prevalence assumption of 
50%, the occurrence data shows the level and prevalence of actual contamination of Japanese 
foods to be negligible except for specific items such as wild animals and plants in specific regions 
which are practically impossible to be traded inte rnationally. Accordingly, Japanese foods marketed G/SPS/GEN/1233 
 
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  under current risk management schemes are scientifically safe enough for human consumption 
and can be safely traded internationally without extra food control restrictions. 
3  FOR FUTURE 5.  Regarding alcoholic beverages, Japan has done comprehensive examinations on radionuclides 
since June 2011, cooperatively with the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB). Until 
February 2013, more than 5,000 samples of alcoholic beverages from throughout Japan, including those produced in Fukushima prefecture, have b een examined. Out of these samples, none has 
exceeded the domestic standards. Accordingly, none of the alcoholic beverages made in Japan 
after the accident has been prohibited from domest ic distribution on the ground of radionuclide 
contamination. Japan has also examined water for brewing and has never detected radioactivity therefrom. According to the scientific rese arch, including that conducted by the NRIB
1-4, even 
when ingredients made for brewing and/or distilling  include radionuclides, they are mostly reduced 
in the production process of alcoholic beverages. As such, import regulations, including requirement of export certificates, are needless fo r alcoholic beverages. Based on these scientific 
standpoints, many countries, including the European Union, have already withdrawn requirements 
to attach the certificates. However, some countries still continue to impose excessive import restrictions including requirement of certificates. As Japan will provide scientific data continuously, 
as appropriate, Japan once again wishes to request WTO Members to take measures based on 
scientific evidence in line with the WTO Agreement. 
6.  As for other Japanese food, based on those facts, ten countries have already lifted import 
restrictions. The trade of Japanese food is gradually getting back on track. However, Japan is 
deeply concerned that some countries still ban the import of Japanese food or set ZERO limits for 
radionuclides. In the past, in many cases, Japan provided solely raw data without systematic analysis and assessments. These might not have been sufficient for importing countries to assess 
the risk of Japanese foods to be imported. Japan will soon provide importing countries with 
systematic analysis and assessments accompanied by complete data sources. With the help of 
such information, Japan believes that import bans on Japanese food for radiological reasons can be 
removed except in the case where a certain food from a specific region is prohibited for 
distribution in Japan due to exceedance of the li mit for double assurance. If an importing country 
prefers a stepwise approach, Japan is prepared to  provide export certificates of test results 
demonstrating compliance to both Japanese and the importing country's standards, as provisional 
measures towards normal trade, although Japan is of the view, in the long run, that Japanese food 
should be imported without any extra measures. 
 
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1 EURANOS "Generic handbook for assisting in th e management of contaminated food production 
systems in Europe following a radiological emergency", p. 126 and p. 134, 2009). 
2 G. Pröhl et al.: "The transfer of 137Cs from barley to beer", Health Physics, 72, p. 111-113, 1997. 
3 Reduction of radioactive materials during proc essing of plum liqueur (ume-shu) by Fukushima 
Agricultural Technology Centre. 
4 Experimental result on nonrad ioactive cesium concentration in sake brewing process by NRIB.