Both the Japanese and Japanese food fans around the world have been devastated by the culinary impacts of the deadly earthquake and subsequent Daiichi nuclear plant fallout, with Japan's water, spinach, milk and fish all possibly contaminated with radioactive materials. And now, we can add rice to that list: the Japanese government has banned rice cultivation in contaminated soil. Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano said, "We had to come up with a policy quickly because we are in planting season."
Though farmers with land found to contain high levels of radioactive cesium will be compensated, it may take years for the ground to be safe. "The ground is ruined," rice farmer Yoshiyuki Ueda said. "I think it will be a long time until things return to normal." Japan produced 8.5 million pounds of rice in 2010, and Fukushima was the nation's fourth largest rice producing state. Experts say you'd have to eat an enormous amount of contaminated food to feel the effects of radiation, but that cesium can build up in the body, and could possibly lead to various cancers.
In other Japan news, officials may organize tours so that those who were evacuated from the area surrounding the Daiichi plant could visit their homes, but Trade Minister Banri Kaieda said it would require a lot of planning. "The residents had to rush out with barest necessities, and they are eager to go back as soon as possible to bring back things that they need," he said. "But such tours must be brief, systematic and safe."
