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The Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectural governments have called on the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to withdraw its request for local authorities in northeastern and eastern Japan to check radiation levels in green tea leaves during processing.

After the amount of radioactive cesium exceeding the legal limit was detected in green tea leaves harvested in Ibaraki and Kanagawa prefectures, the health ministry ordered Tokyo and 13 prefectures in northeastern and eastern Japan on May 16 to ban shipments of half-processed steam dried green tea leaves, known as "Aracha," if cesium tops the national permissible limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram.

The cesium concentration in steam dried green tea can become about five times as high as that in raw leaves, prompting the ministry to order the prefectures to check radiation levels in Aracha.

However, the move met with opposition from Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectures.

Shizuoka Vice Gov. Yoichiro Iwase visited Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Ritsuo Hosokawa on May 17 and requested, in writing, that the measurement of radiation doses be limited to raw green tea leaves and those ready to be marketed.

Iwase pointed out the fact that consumers do not drink Aracha and that radiation levels in green tea can exceed the legal limit during the production process even if those in raw leaves and final products are below the provisional amount.

On the same day, Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa submitted a petition to the health minister and the agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, requesting Aracha be excluded from radiation screening.