Hong Kong flags Japanese shipment for possibly flouting Fukushima ban

ISTANBUL

Hong Kong authorities are probing whether an importer illegally brought in Japanese vegetables from Fukushima, Japan, flouting a post-2011 ban on food imports from the province, the site of a nuclear disaster, local media reported on Thursday.

The Centre for Food Safety said that they marked and sealed the suspect vegetable shipment to prevent it from entering the local market, Hong Kong-based RTHK news reported.

It discovered a package of Fukushima Japanese maple, violating the ban on importing vegetables, fruits, milk, milk beverages, and dried milk from the province, the center said in a statement.

The center stressed that it would “continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action, including informing the Japanese authorities concerned of the incident.”

It added: “Prosecution will be instituted against the importer concerned should there be sufficient evidence. The investigation is ongoing.”

On Aug. 24, adding to measures against land-based food, Hong Kong issued a ban on seafood imports from the region after Japan okayed the release of 1.34 million tons of Fukushima plant wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. The tsunami water flooded the plant in 2011, triggering a nuclear accident.

China similarly imposed a blanket ban on imports of seafood from Japan over the controversial move.