Chinese and South Korean leaders turned a deaf ear to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's request that they ease restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed last year because of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear, Japanese government sources said Tuesday.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak did not respond to Noda's request during their meeting in Beijing on Monday, the sources said.
China currently bans imports of all food products from Fukushima, Tokyo and eight other prefectures while requiring certificates of inspection for radioactive substances to be attached to shipments of vegetables and dairy products from other prefectures. South Korea maintains an import ban on vegetables and some other food products from Miyagi and seven other prefectures.
Countries such as Canada, Myanmar and Chile have completely lifted their bans on food imports from Japan, based on scientific data provided by Tokyo.
China and South Korea are maintaining their import restrictions because they are apparently more concerned about the safety of Japanese food products than other countries due to their proximity to Japan, a Foreign Ministry source said. But other sources said the two countries are likely maintaining the restrictions as a bargaining chip to secure concessions over other issues.