Dalian airport officials refused to give permission for a Japanese aircraft to unload its cargo after a high level of radiation was detected, says a Japanese report.
The All Nippon Airways plane, from Narita airport in Tokyo, arrived at Dalian airport on Wednesday, carrying electronic products and 20 tonnes of cargo. But Chinese staff detected a high level of radiation in the freight, according to an NHK report.
Staff at the airport confirmed yesterday that any aircraft carrying cargo found to exceed radiation levels would be turned away.
However, if passengers were found to have high levels of radiation, they would not be sent back to Japan but would receive appropriate medical treatment.
Officials said China was the first country to refuse permission for a Japanese plane to unload its cargo because of radiation levels.
It is unclear how many Japanese cargo consignments have been rejected since Beijing on Tuesday ordered all airports to check the radiation levels of passengers and imported goods from Japan.