Chinese agency: Reports of tainted rice exports to Japan untrue

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) on Thursday posted the transcript of its Monday press conference on its website, disputing reports of contaminated Chinese rice exports to Japan.

The agency was asked about reports that 799 tonnes of rice exported to Japan between 2006 and 2007 had been found to contain methamidophos, a harmful chemical.

Some Japanese media also reported that one Japanese company had used 295 tonnes of the rice to process food products, according to AQSIQ.

Regarding those reports, the government body said it had held talks on Sept. 8 with Japan's China Embassy, which said the rice was exported to Japan from China around 2003. That was before Japan listed methamidophos as an item to be checked, and the exported rice then was qualified by Japanese standards.

The administration said when the chemical was detected in 2006 and 2007, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had said that the rice was inedible and directed the Osaka-based wholesaler, Mikasa Foods, to treat the problematic rice.