Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Naoto Kan has sought to quell food safety fears among the country’s populace, telling them that produce grown around the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant is safe to eat.
While the plant is leaking radiation, Mr Kan said that the radiation levels were falling and he urged Japanese citizens to “support the area” by buying produce grown in the region, according to the BBC.
“People should not fall into an extreme self-restraint mood. They should live life as normal,” said Mr Kan in a press conference late on Tuesday. “Consuming products from the regions that have been affected is also our way to support the area.”
Mr Kan’s statements were backed up by the International Atomic Energy Asssociation (IAEA), which said that the latest food sample data showed that contamination levels in the region were below the limits set by Japan.
“Samples of various vegetables, fruit, various meats, seafood and processed raw milk in eight prefectures indicated that iodine 131, caesium 134 and caesium 137 were either not detected or were below the regulation values,” IAEA deputy head Denis Flory told reporters on Tuesday.
The World Health Organisation also confirmed that there remains “very little public health risk” outside the 30km evacuation zone.
The reassurances came as Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency stepped up the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) to level seven, which is the highest possible rating for a nuclear disaster and on a par with Chernobyl, where 10 times as much radiation was emitted.
However, the higher rating reportedly reflects the total release of radiation at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, rather than a sudden deterioration. And Mr Kan said there were signs of progress in stabilising the plant. “Step by step, the reactors in Fukushima Daiichi power plant are moving toward stability,” he said.
