Safety limit radioactive cesium in Fukushima rice

Radioactive cesium measuring just at the government-set safety limit has been detected in rice samples collected in an area in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture.

Officials say 500 becquerels per kilogram of cesium was found in a test on pre-harvest rice from Nihonmatsu City on Friday. The figure is the highest in such tests carried out for rice across the country.

Since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March, the central government has required that a 2-stage test for radiation be conducted before and after harvest.

Pre-harvest tests are currently being carried out in nine prefectures in Tohoku and Kanto regions.

Following the discovery of the high level radioactive cesium, the prefectural government has increased the number of places being tested within the city from 38 to about 300.

On Saturday, the Nihonmatsu City government held an emergency meeting with officials from the prefectural government.

As some farmers have already started to harvest their crop before the results became available, it was decided that they would store their crop ahead of the post-harvest tests.