New research reported in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal has found extremely high levels of radioactive material in north-eastern Japan, especially in areas near the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The Fukushima nuclear power plant was damaged after a large earthquake and tsunami struck Japan earlier in 2011. The high levels of radioactive material exceed the levels considered safe for farming and food consumption. An earlier study, conducted by Japan, suggested that the levels of radiation were under the safety limit and therefore safe for consumption. However, as new research shows, areas around the Fukushima power plant were eight times the safety limit and neighboring regions were either at the safety limit or just slightly under it. Areas of western Japan are below the safety limit and scientists credit these low radioactive levels to the large mountain range that splits down the center of Japan, which helps to shelter western Japan from the dispersal of airborne radioactive material. Scientists are concerned most over the radioactive element, Caesium-137, because it has been known to linger in an environment for decades. Caesium-137 is the same radioactive element that was released during the Chernobyl disaster. This is a large concern for Japanese food exports because the north-eastern part of Japan, near the Fukushima plant, is one of Japan's main agricultural areas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15691571
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