Sankei claimed in its lead story that the GOJ has decided to conduct tighter inspections of South Korean seafood at ports of entry beginning on June 1, noting that this is apparently a retaliation against Seoul’s continued imposition of an import ban on selected Japanese seafood that was deemed to be valid by the WTO last month. According to the daily, the Health Ministry will impose tighter safety screening on Korean flatfish, ark shell, and eight other seafood items ostensibly to prevent food poisoning. The article added that it is extremely unusual for the Japanese government to impose tighter regulations on seafood imports from a specific country.