- 5 Feb 2005
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Seems that things are getting a lot better between Japan and China, since Abe has become PM.
China to lift import ban on Japanese rice
01/19/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
BEIJING--China on Thursday agreed in principle to lift its import ban on Japanese rice, in place since 2003, Japanese government officials said.
The agreement came during a meeting of visiting Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka and a top Chinese quarantine official. The two countries will decide on when to resume imports before a visit to Japan by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, scheduled for April, according to the farm ministry.
In February 2003, China revised its quarantine system and banned imports of Japanese rice, citing the risk of harmful insect pests. Japan's rice exports to China amounted to just one ton in 2000. Still, Japan is expecting China's decision to resume rice imports to give a momentum to the government's drive to expand exports of farm produce.