Japan asks for WTO panel to rule on S.Korea's Fukushima-related food import restrictions

Aug 20 Japan on Thursday asked the World Trade Organization to set up a panel to rule on South Korea's import bans and testing requirements for Japanese food after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, since the restrictions show no signs of being eased.

Japan launched a trade complaint at the WTO in May, saying the South Korean measures violated a WTO agreement and that Seoul had failed to justify the measures as required.

"We held two days of bilateral discussions on this on June 24 and 25, but there was no expression from the Korean side of when the restrictions might be lifted," Japan's Agriculture Ministry said on its website.

This has been excerpted from the 20 August 2015 edition of Reuters and is available in its entirety at:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/20/japan-southkorea-wto-idUKL3N10V3RA20150820