System for ensuring the safety of imported foods in Japan and the international trend of food safety based on hazard analysis and risk management

Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate has remained at around 40 percent since the mid-1990s, and while 60% of the foods consumed in Japan are imported from other countries. The negotiations for the TransPacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), in which Japan had been participating, have been concluded, and the distribution of food will be further accelerated. To accommodate this situation, Japan has established a system to ensure the safety of imported foods. However, there are some cases in which imported food has had problems that were barely detected at the time of import. The United States and the European Union, -import many foods from foreign countries, much like Japan does. Yet when they promote economic partnership agreements with certain countries, the distribution of food from those countries increases even further. Corresponding to this, they introduced 連絡先:温泉川肇彦 〒3510197 埼玉県和光市南236 2-3-6, Minami, Wako, Saitama, 351-0197, Japan. T e l: 0484586150 Fax: 0484692768 E-mail: yunokawa@niph.go.jp [平成25年9月3日受理] 特集:国際保健の潮流