LONDON (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto called on Tuesday for the easing of restrictions on Japanese food imports imposed after the earthquake and tsunami that led to a radiation leak from a Japanese nuclear plant.
Speaking at a joint news conference after talks with counterpart William Hague, Matsumoto said there should be "appropriate relaxation" of restrictions on travel and trade imposed after the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
"As for the restrictions on imports of Japanese foods, based on the current scientific data ... I would like you to respond accordingly based on these data and I believe we have reached an understanding," Matsumoto said, according to an interpreter.
Britain is a member of the European Union, which said last month it would further reinforce its radiation controls on imports of food and animal feed from Japan in response to the nuclear crisis.
Germany, Britain and France have imposed extra checks on Japanese food imports such as soy sauce and shellfish to ensure they are free of radioactivity. Many other countries stopped or restricted food imports from Japan after the earthquake.
Hague said Matsumoto had raised with him the issue of nuclear-related restrictions on imports from Japan.
"We are examining this issue with Japanese officials and we will always be guided in our response by scientific fact and that is how we will continue," he said.
"Our chief scientific adviser will visit Japan in the course of this month," he added.
Hague said Britain strongly supported EU plans to negotiate a free trade agreement with Japan. Removing trade barriers could deliver over 40 billion euros ($59.47 billion) of additional European exports to Japan and more than 50 billion euros of additional exports from Japan to the EU, he said.
(Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)