Hisane Masaki | May 06, 2011 9:41AM EDT
Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda asked other Asian countries Thursday to “react calmly, based on scientific facts” to rumors that Japanese products may be contaminated with radioactivity.
The minister addressed the topic during a speech at the annual Asian Development Bank meeting in Hanoi.
The Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, about 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, was ravaged by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern part of the country on March 11. The nuclear plant has suffered fires and explosions, leaking radiation.
“The Japanese government has adopted regulation on agricultural products and foods in accordance with international standards and is conducting daily inspection,” he said, according to the full text of his speech released in Tokyo by the Finance Ministry.
“Agricultural products and foods that show radiation levels exceeding the regulatory limits are not shipped domestically or exported to other countries,” Noda said.
He assured the safety of industrial products as well, saying industrial production has been halted at factories within a radius of 20 kilometers of the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant.
“Japan intends to promptly provide the international community with accurate information with a maximum level of transparency,” he added.
