Japanese Trade Minister Banri Kaieda said he asked China and South Korea to rely on scientific evidence in deciding whether to ban Japanese goods over concern they may be contaminated with radiation.

Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming and South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong Hoon both agreed that will be the criteria for any import restrictions, Kaieda told reporters after meeting his counterparts in Tokyo on Sunday. Chen and Kim also said safety is their priority, Kaieda added.
Trading partners worldwide are testing Japanese products for radiation following leaks at the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant, the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
China, Japan’s largest export market, earlier this month expanded a ban on imports of food and agricultural produce, threatening to exacerbate an export slump in the world’s third- largest economy after a record earthquake disrupted supply chains.
South Korea, Singapore and the U.S. have also halted imports of some products on concern that produce grown around the stricken nuclear station has been contaminated.
Japan, South Korea and China agreed on the need to accelerate negotiations to form a free-trade agreement among them, and to “resist protectionism in all forms,” according to a joint statement released after the discussions on Sunday.
(Source: Bloomberg)