The Japanese government has reportedly protested with the government of Pakistan for not allowing import of its poultry and poultry products, well-informed sources told Business Recorder. The Commerce Division in its Import Policy Order of April 18, 2016 had restricted poultry and poultry products from Japan on account of Avian Influenza H5N1 strain. According to the Japanese embassy in Islamabad, Japan has declared to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that it is totally free from HJPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) on April 15, 2018.
"The issue was technically examined by the livestock department of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS& R) which has concluded that Japan can export poultry and poultry products to Pakistan," the sources added. The Japanese embassy has further stated that MNFS&R has requested Commerce Division through letter No.F.8.5/2015(Japan)/IC-II on July 2, 2018 to issue an SRO of import policy for lifting of the restriction on the importation of poultry meat and poultry products from Japan. However, Commerce Division has yet not lifted restrictions on Japanese poultry and poultry products.
The embassy of Japan has requested Commerce Division to lift the restriction on the importation of poultry meat and poultry products from Japan to Pakistan through an immediate amendment of the Import Policy by the ministry based on the fact that practical permission was already given by the competent authority of MNFSR. In September, Japan had expressed serious reservations over Pakistan for imposing a ban on the import of Ajinomoto salt, which may impact on its export to other countries. The recently transferred Japanese ambassador to Pakistan Takashi Kurai met with Prime Minister's Advisor on Commerce, Textile, Industries and Production and Investment, Abdul Razzak Dawood and sought his help to resolve this issue as early as possible.
Japan maintained if Pakistan's ban is prolonged, the world may question why the ban was imposed and that may hurt export of Ajinomoto salt to other countries. On February 10, 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered that Ajinomoto salt would neither be manufactured nor imported or distributed in Pakistan. On March 2, 2018, then Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar banned the sale of Chinese salt Ajinomoto, observing that it is hazardous for health. Hearing a suo motu case on the sale of Ajinomoto and used cooking oil, in Lahore, the Chief Justice inquired from the advocate general as to the whereabouts of Mustafa Ramday, the head of a court-appointed commission tasked to probe the issue.
On January 15, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) banned Ajinomoto after the authority found it hazardous for health. According to the PFA, the salt contains monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavour enhancer said to cause asthma, headaches, and even brain damage. On February 21, according to media reports, the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh also banned the sale of Ajinomoto. The Embassy of Japan in Islamabad has also approached Ministry of Commerce expressing concerns at the ban. Simultaneously, Japanese delegation to the WTO on SPS committee in Geneva has inquired from Pakistan's Mission at WTO about recent measures taken against import of Ajinomoto salt.
In December 2018, Abdul Razzak Dawood during his visit to Japan deliberated on possibility of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), multiple entry visas for Pakistani businessmen and cooperation in ICT (Information & Communication Technology).
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