Japan wants food import curbs imposed after Fukushima crisis lifted

"It is extremely regrettable that some countries and regions continue to impose restrictions on imports of Japanese food products, even a decade after the disaster," Motegi said in a statement on the 10th anniversary of the crisis, which was triggered by a massive quake and tsunami.

"The government of Japan will make its utmost efforts, based on scientific evidence, to have the restrictions lifted as early as possible and advance further efforts to increase Japanese exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products," he said.

Of the 54 countries and regions that introduced import curbs on Japanese food products following the nuclear accident, 15 including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the European Union maintain restrictions. The three Asian economies were among Japan's top five food export destinations in 2020.

Motegi pointed out that farm exports from Fukushima Prefecture recovered to pre-disaster levels in 2017 and have continued to hit record highs for three straight years since then.

In the statement, the minister also acknowledged the support and "countless messages of encouragement" that were sent to Japan from around the world following the disaster, noting cash donations, the dispatch of personnel to search for missing people and support for those who were in need.