(Yicai Global) Nov. 30 -- Chinese authorities have lifted a ban on the import of Niigata rice from Japan, seven years after it was first imposed following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Imports of the rice will resume subject to evaluations, the country's customs authority said in a statement. The rule change relates to rice and unpolished rice produced in Niigata prefecture, one of the country's most renowned producers of the foodstuff, as well as Japanese rice plants registered with Chinese authorities. 

China outlawed imports of food, edible agricultural products, and animal feed from 12 Japanese prefectures in April 2011 following the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, which neighbors Niigata.