Food Safety Issues in the Vegetable Trade between China and Japan: What is Required to Establish Effective Food Safety System in Their Bilateral Food Trade? By

In the context of expanding global food trade in which we import and consume a variety of foods from across the world, insuring food safety, an essential public health issue, has become a major concern in our food supply system. Over the past several years, food related scandals of Chinese made foods have been in the headlines and caused a high degree of concern for Japanese consumers. Japanese government has responded by imposing strict regulations on Chinese food products and often disrupted mutually beneficial food trade relations between China and Japan. Through a case study of spinach safety issue occurred in 2002, this paper illustrates current food safety system of imported food in Japan and exporting food in China as well as policy planning mechanisms of food safety regulation in both countries. Based on the findings of a case study, the paper argues that to change Japanese consumers’ biased and incorrect perception of Chinese food products, which has greatly affected food safety policy design, is required to achieve effective food safety systems. Framework of social construction of target population theory is applied in understanding the policy planning mechanism of food safety regulation as well as in discussing policy prescriptions toward establishment of effective food