Japan Press Weekly

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2012 February 1 - 7 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

JCP calls for stronger radiation monitoring for school meals

Japanese Communist Party representative Miyamoto Takeshi urged the government to strengthen the criteria for inspection of food for school meals at the February 2 House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting.

Miyamoto revealed that the government has failed to install radiation monitoring equipment at schools although subsidies for installment were included in the third supplementary budget.

These subsidies are designed to be given to only 17 prefectures to buy a maximum of 5 radiation monitoring equipment. Citing remarks made by the Fukushima governor, who said that all municipalities, if they wish, should be equipped with the radiation measurement equipment, Miyamoto called on the government to take necessary measures to have all food products for school meals properly inspected for radiation.

Education Minister Hirano Hirofumi, without mentioning the need to install more radiation monitoring equipment at schools, stated that food products are inspected before being sent to the schools.

However, the JCP representative pointed out the fact that radiation-contaminated beef was used in school meals in August last year.

The Education Ministry admitted that the beef was possibly consumed at 459 schools and kindergartens in 46 cities, towns, and villages in 18 prefectures.

Pointing out that 180,000 children could have been fed the beef, Miyamoto demanded that the government drastically strengthen the monitoring structure in order to avoid contaminated food from being fed to children at schools.