Japan's neighbors monitor shipments for radiation

   BEIJING (AP) _ Japan's neighbors have ordered strengthened radiation monitoring of shipments from Japan, but said they don't foresee their countries having any immediate effects of contamination from the Japanese nuclear crisis.

   China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued an order Wednesday calling for radiation monitoring to track any goods contaminated by leaks from the nuclear plants damaged by Friday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

   China is Japan's largest trading partner, and two-way trade rose 30 percent in 2010 over the previous year to reach $300 billion.

Japan's exports to China rose 36 percent during the year to almost $150 billion.

   Besides China, far eastern Russia and the Korean peninsula are Japan's closest neighbors.

   The Russian Emergencies Ministry said Tuesday it had detected no increase in radiation levels.

   South Korean officials said Wednesday they had strengthened radiation monitoring. Officials began to inspect all livestock and fisheries products imported from Japan for radiation contamination on Monday, according to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In the past, only random samples were inspected.

   About 50 tons of animal products, mostly cheese, have been tested so far but no contamination has been found, said ministry official Jang Jae-hong.

   The state-run Korea Food & Drug Administration has also started radiation checks, agency official Oh Geum-sun said.

   Two-way trade between South Korea and Japan reached about $92.5 billion last year, with Japan ranked as South Korea's second-largest trading partner after China.

   The Department of Health in Taiwan, which is southwest of Japan, has begun checking food imports from the Fukushima area of Japan for radiation contamination, and airport officials are offering to scan any inbound passengers from Japan who are worried about radiation.

   Fukushima in northeastern Japan, 140 miles (220 kilometers) north of Tokyo is where Japanese officials are frantically struggling to contain radiation from a nuclear plant crippled by the earthquake and tsunami.

   China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Chinese meteorologists Wednesday as saying rain and snow forecast in northern Japan should help prevent any spread of radiation.

   Further away, Singapore said it has increased inspections of food imports from Japan.

   An Indian government statement said customs authorities at ports and airports had been asked to test samples of food imported from Japan. India mainly imports Japanese processed foods, sea food, oil seeds and seeds of vegetables such as cauliflower and cabbage. It also gets citrus fruits, diary products, confectionery and tobacco products from Japan.

   Malaysian airport authorities are screening passengers and cargo from Japan for radiation contamination, said Mohamad Yasin Sudin, an official with the Atomic Energy Licensing Board. Authorities are also checking food imports from Japan.