FAQ
Safety of Food and Drinking Water in Fukushima and Throughout Japan
Japan's food standards for radioactive cesium are set at 100 Bq/kg for general foods and 50 Bq/kg for milk, the strictest levels in the world. In recent inspections of agriculture, forestry and fishery products, there have been no cases of radioactive cesium exceeding these levels. In fact, radioactive cesium has not even been detected.
Between April and December 2020, inspections were conducted as follows: brown rice (1,055 samples), fruit and veg (2,078 samples), livestock products (3,128 samples), marine fishery products (3,127 samples), fish in rivers and lakes (162 samples), inland-water farmed fish (22 samples), cultivated edible plants and mushrooms (990 samples), and wild edible plants and mushrooms (512 samples). The results of the inspections show that no foods were found to contain radioactive cesium in excess of the set levels.
Over 8 years, between 2012 and 2019, all the rice grown in Fukushima Prefecture was inspected, totaling 88.15 million inspections. For 5 years, from 2015, no rice exceeded the limit for radioactive cesium. Measures including strategies to limit the absorption of radionuclides by crops and livestock helped achieve this. Considering the favorable results, rice inspections have been eased. Beginning from the 2020 harvest, rice (except for rice grown in certain limited areas such as areas where evacuation orders were previously in place) is subject to monitoring inspections in the same way as other foods. Should any monitoring inspections reveal rice with radionuclides above the set levels, measures will be taken to ensure the rice is not distributed on the market.
