LOC10:35
07:35 GMT
TOKYO, June 29 (KUNA) -- Japan on Wednesday hailed Britain's removal of its ban on some Japanese food products, saying it will support the reconstruction of affected areas by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
"The Japanese government has strongly urged the UK government to lift the restrictions through various opportunities, including the Japan-UK Summit meeting in May this year. We welcome the fact that the UK government reached this decision based on scientific evidence," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Japan will continue to work towards the early lifting of the remaining import restrictions in the EU and other countries and regions," it said.
According to the ministry, the UK parliament and the Welsh parliament passed regulations earlier in the day, which came into force on the same day, lifting import restrictions on Japanese food products regarding radionuclides. Similar regulation was passed by the Scottish parliament and came into force on June 25, it said.
The restrictions were introduced in March 2011 after triple meltdown at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station triggered by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake.
According to the ministry, 55 countries and regions introduced import bans on Japanese food products following the nuclear disaster, but 42 countries, including Kuwait, have already lifted them. (end)
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