由中國進口白胡椒有微量毒性

Last month the NHK News reported the following:
中国から輸入された香辛料の「ホワイトペッパー」から微量の発がん性物質が検出され、厚生労働省は、流通を止めるとともに、輸入業者に対して今後、安全性を確認する検査を義務づける命令を出しました。
厚生労働省によりますと、今月７日、東京・江東区の東京検疫所で輸入食品の抜き打ち検査を行ったところ、中国の山東省の会社が製造したホワイトペッパーから、発がん性物質の「アフラトキシン」が１キロ当たり１１マイクログラム検出されました。
アフラトキシンは毒性のあるカビの一種で、おう吐や下痢などの急性中毒を引き起こすこともあるということですが、厚生労働省によりますと、今回、検出された量は微量で、健康に直ちに影響が出ることはないということです。
厚生労働省は、食品衛生法に基づき、今回輸入され倉庫に保管されているホワイトペッパー２１０キロについては流通を止めるとともに、今後、中国産のホワイトペッパーを輸入する業者に対して安全性を確認する検査を義務づける命令を出しました。
中国産のホワイトペッパーは、昨年度以降、合わせて１トン余り輸入されていますが、これまでのところ健康被害の報告はないということです。
(試譯文)
Because a small amount of carcinogen was detected in the "white pepper" spices imported from China, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare had stopped its circulation, at the same time had issued the instruction that imposed a duty of inspection on the importing trader to ensure safety in future.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, when they conducted surprise inspection on food imported at the Tokyo quarantine station of Koto-district of Tokyo on the 7th of this month, 11 micrograms of carcinogen "aflatoxin" in per km were detected from the white pepper which was produced by a company in Shandong of China.
Aflatoxin was a kind of toxic mold that might cause acute intoxication such as vomiting and diarrhea; according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare because the detected quantity was small it would not have direct impact on health this time.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued the instruction which would from now on, in order to ensure safety, imposed a duty of inspection on the contractor who imported the Chinese white pepper; meanwhile based on the Food Sanitation Law had stopped the circulation about 210 km of white pepper imported this time and kept them in the warehouse.
Although in total a little more than 1 ton of Chinese white pepper had been imported since last fiscal year, up to now no reports on health impairment had been heard of.

It seems that the Japanese are very serious about food safety.