FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Peach exports from Fukushima Prefecture to Taiwan resumed in full on Monday for the first time since shipments were halted following the 2011 nuclear crisis in northeastern Japan.
Around 4.5 tons of peaches from Fukushima, one of the country's key producers, are scheduled to be shipped to Taiwan by Sept. 11, farm cooperatives and prefectural authorities said, following the lifting of import restrictions on Japanese food products last November.
Before the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, Taiwan was a major export destination.
Of the 28.8 tons of peaches exported by Fukushima Prefecture in 2010, 18.5 tons were bound for Taiwan, according to the authorities.
Exports were suspended following the accident, with trial shipments made in 2023 and 2025 after radioactive material testing confirmed the products were safe. However, the volumes remained minimal.
On Monday, a total of 40 boxes of peaches, weighing around 200 kilograms, left a packing house. The fruit is scheduled to be sold at department stores in Taiwan after being transported by air via Tokyo's Toyosu wholesale market and Narita airport near the Japanese capital.
Yoshiyuki Fujino, an official of JA Fukushima Mirai, a regional agricultural cooperative, welcomed the resumption, saying, "This will give confidence to producers and marks a huge step toward raising the brand value of Fukushima peaches."
