FOOD FIGHT?With Taipei’s new regulations on Japanese food imports set to go into effect tomorrow, questions regarding the enforcement of such rules remain unanswered

Taipei Times
Date: May 14, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Amid reports that Japan could challenge Taiwan’s decision to tighten

regulations on imported Japanese foodstuffs at the WTO, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang Been-huang (蔣丙煌) yesterday said that Taiwan is within its rights to take such an action.

“The new measure will be enforced as scheduled [tomorrow]. Even if Japan plans to file a case with the WTO, our action will stand up to scrutiny,” Chiang said.

“The ministry will continue to communicate with Japan and help it understand why it was necessary to tighten regulations,” he said, adding that the measures “will benefit both sides.”

The new measures were adopted after it was discovered in March that food items from five Japanese prefectures from which imports are banned had made their way into Taiwan with the help of false labels, Chiang said.     [FULL  STORY]