Flue-cured given clean bill of health

Japan Tobacco Inc. said today that none of the domestic flue-cured tobacco it had tested in prepurchase tests for radioactive materials had exceeded its standard value (radioactive cesium: 100Bq/kg).

The company has been conducting at each stage of its production process a number of tests for radioactive materials in Japanese leaf in order to allay consumer concern over the accident at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant following the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

Prepurchase testing of this year’s flue-cured tobacco has now been completed, but the company said it would continue with its scheme of testing after purchase, and testing and monitoring a number of times at each stage of its production process.

Meanwhile, testing of the country’s native tobacco and burley tobacco is scheduled to be initiated from September.