Zimbabwe orders all vehicles imports from Japan to undergo radiation inspection

Zimbabwe make a move to curb hazardous emissions from old vehicles imported from Japan and to make it mandatory for all imported vehicles to be screened for radiation contamination as a part of African countries seek to reduce environmental contamination from imported pre-owned cars. Importation of cheap secondhand vehicles from Japan is big business across many African countries whose citizens cannot afford new ones.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said in an October report that Africa accounts for about 40% of all vehicles exported from major automobile manufacturing hubs such as Japan, Europe and the US. Zimbabwe’s authorities are now screening imported pre-owned vehicles for radiation at a cost of $10 and a further $50 for decontamination. This follows a 8th December directive from the Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe that said all vehicles imported into Zimbabwe from countries that experienced nuclear incidents (Japan) have to be inspected for radiation contamination.