India banned all food imports from Japan on Tuesday, the first country to impose a blanket block over radiation from a stricken nuclear plant, as shares in its operator plunged to an all-time low.
- Water contaminated with radioactive material from the Fukushima atomic plant has been flowing into the Pacific Ocean Photo: NHK/AFP/GETTY
With workers pumping toxic water from the Fukushima atomic plant into the Pacific Ocean for a second day, Japan imposed a legal limit for radioactive iodine in fish, adding it would look at widening tests to cover a larger area.
Raised levels of radioactive iodine had been discovered in a fish caught off Ibaraki prefecture, south of the crippled plant.
An Indian government statement said all food imports from Japan “stand suspended with immediate effect” for three months, or until “credible information is available that the radiation hazard has subsided to acceptable limits”.
The move by India, which imports small amounts of fruits, vegetables and processed food, is the first nationwide ban, while several countries including China, Singapore and the United States have blocked food from some Japanese prefectures.
Leave a Reply