Pan-green Lawmaker Wants Japan Food Ban Lifted 開放日本福島食品? 傳列台日會談議題

Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Kuo Kuo-wen is calling on the Tsai administration to address the import ban on food from five Japanese prefectures that were affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster as soon as possible.

Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Kuo Kuo-wen, who is also the head of the East Asia Parliamentary Friendship Group, says the failure of the American Ractopamine pork referendum to pass shows that Taiwanese people accept American pork containing scientifically safe levels of the animal drug that meet international standards. Kuo says the same should apply to Japanese food products from areas affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Tsai administration should deal with the import ban on Japanese food products as soon as possible.

Kuo Kuo-wen, Legislator (DPP): “If citizens can even accept American pork containing Ractopamine, there is no reason not to accept Japanese food products. In the wake of the referendum, (the Tsai administration) should tackle this issue immediately.”

Wang Mei-hua, Economic Affairs Minister: “We will be using the same standards to deal with the Japanese food issue. We will use international standards and scientific evidence. Of course, we will care about public health too. However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has not discussed the issue at this point.”

Wang Mei-hua says the Ministry of Economic Affairs will use science and international standards to proceed but no discussions have been held at this point. However, Japanese Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Masahisa Sato tweeted that the issue would be discussed at the virtual meeting between the DPP and Japan's Liberal Democratic Party on the 24th. DPP lawmaker Luo Chih-cheng, who will be representing the DPP at the meeting, says the agenda has not yet been drafted and Taiwan will wait to get the agenda from Japan.

Luo Chih-cheng, Legislator (DPP): “The two sides are still discussing the issues that will be discussed. (The meeting) will last around 90 minutes, so there is no time to discuss details.”

Japan really wants to unload its food products on Taiwan, and a Japanese delegation paid a visit to Kuomintang lawmakers last week. Meanwhile, Taipei representative to Japan Frank Hsieh is coming back to Taiwan soon reportedly to brief the Tsai administration on the implications of lifting the import ban. The KMT knows it, along with food safety groups, are fighting an uphill battle in trying to keep the ban in place.

Chen Yu-jen, KMT Caucus Secretary: “If people remain indifferent, the government will just keep doing whatever it wants to do. It will continue violating democratic processes and unscrupulously sacrificing public health for its own interests.”

Chen Yu-jen says the KTM caucus' reach is limited but it won't stop fighting for public health. She also says the party needs the public's help to keep contaminated Japanese food out of Taiwan, and called on concerned citizens to voice their opposition to the Tsai administration and DPP lawmakers.

 

反萊豬公投案沒有過關，擔任亞東國會議員友好協會會長的民進黨立委郭國文認為，這代表國人可接受以科學安全和國際標準進口美國萊豬，日本核災地區食品進口議題也是一樣，政府應該加快處理速度。

民進黨立委郭國文指出:「如果反萊豬公投國人都可以接受的話，日本食品沒有道理不去面對而不接受，公投案件過後之後，就應該要馬上來面對這個問題。」

經濟部長王美花則回應:「日本食品的問題，我們一樣是用相同的標準，我們要用國際的標準，要用科學的依據，當然也會照顧國民的健康，目前日本食品的部分，經濟部是沒有討論。」

王美花表示，經濟部會用科學與國際標準處理原則，但目前還沒討論。不過日本自民黨外交部會長佐藤正久在推特上表示，24日將與民進黨召開兩國執政黨的第二次「二加二會議」，將就此議題進行討論。代表民進黨參與會議的立委羅致政表示，目前會談還沒有設定議題，等日方提出後再來處理。

民進黨立委羅致政回應:「這個討論的項目，目前雙方還在討論當中，因為時間大概只有一個半小時，所以也不可能討論到細節的部分。」

日方積極推動，上週也特別到立法院拜會國民黨立委，駐日代表謝長廷近期返台，也被解讀應會就開放核災區食品問題向政府提出相關報告。國民黨團坦言反萊豬公投沒有過關，國民黨與食安團體想要擋下日本核災地區食品進口恐怕更為困難。

國民黨立院黨團書記長陳玉珍認為:「由於大部分民眾這個冷漠，讓政府會更加的對於他想推的，任何不符合民主程序不照顧國人食安的相關議題，都會強渡關山，肆無忌憚。」

陳玉珍表示國民黨團還是會有所動作，不過力道有限，真要阻擋日本核災地區食品進口，還是要靠民眾直接向蔡政府與民進黨立委表達反對聲音。