A Japanese recall of pesticide-laced dumplings from China threatens to damage the already fragile image of Chinese foodstuffs here, potentially slowing growth in one of the fast-growing country's most promising export markets.

    Retailers here raced to clear their shelves of Chinese-made frozen dumplings after Japan's health ministry ordered a recall late Wednesday of snacks made by a unit of the Hebei Foodstuffs Import & Export Group. At least 10 people suffered vomiting and diarrhea after eating dumplings with traces of the pesticide methamidophos, including a 5-year-old girl who fell into a coma, the ministry said. Her condition has since stabilized.

    The recall, widely publicized on television and in newspapers, was the latest blow to the image of Chinese food imports in Japan, which have grown as consumers here have become increasingly sensitive to price. In 2006, the last year for which full-year data are available, Chinese food imports in Japan reached $8 billion, up 35% from 2001, according to the quasigovernmental Japan External Trade Organization.

    Japanese consumers already have seen a string of health scares involving contaminated food from China. In 2002, Japan stepped up checks of Chinese vegetables after frozen spinach shipped from a Chinese producer was found to contain high levels of chlorpyrifos, another pesticide. Traces of disinfectant were found in Chinese eel and mackerel last year, further spurring consumer fears.

    Analysts say the tainted dumplings could potentially slow Japanese imports of Chinese food, at least for a little while. 'The Japanese media has jumped on this, and the scare could hurt Chinese food imports as a whole,' said Hiroshi Saji, a food-industry analyst at Mizuho Securities Co.

    A unit of Tokyo-based Japan Tobacco Inc. imported the dumplings, a popular snack in children's lunch boxes, last year. Early this year, JT received reports that consumers were sickened by the dumplings. The company is dispatching an inspector to China.

    'We're going to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible,' JT spokeswoman Shoko Hamamoto said. 'That starts with getting a clear picture of what exactly happened at the Chinese plant.'

    China's food-safety watchdog said it was also inspecting the Hebei factory, which produced foods exclusively for the Japanese market. It said initial checks hadn't detected any traces of the pesticide.

    Chinese authorities said they had issued their own recall of dumplings produced at the factory, including those on their way to Japan. China was also sending an investigation team to Tokyo, Wang Daning, who is in charge of food safety, told reporters.

    'We pay great attention to this issue, and we will treat our Japanese consumers just like we treat our families,' Mr. Wang said.

    Safety concerns could also trigger moves to strengthen Japan's already tight inspections of imported food. In 2006, Japan temporarily suspended beef imports from the U.S. after finding prohibited bone parts in a single shipment of veal.

    日本召回含有杀虫剂的中国饺子事件再次危害了中国食品在日本已经摇摇欲坠的形象，此事可能会给中国这个迅速发展的国家最具希望的出口行业带来负面影响。

    日本卫生部门周三晚间下令召回中国河北省食品进出口集团(Hebei Foodstuffs Import & Export Group.)下属的一家公司生产的食品，日本零售商争先恐后地将中国产速冻水饺撤下货架。日方官员表示，至少有10人在食用饺子后出现了呕吐和腹泻，其中一名五岁小女孩陷入昏迷，经查实，这些饺子含有杀虫剂甲胺磷。后来这个女孩的病情已经稳定了下来。

    这次召回事件在电视和报纸上广为报导，中国进口食品在日本的形象再次受到了打击。本来由于日本消费者对食品价格日渐敏感，中国食品的形象已有所提升。准政府机构日本贸易振兴会(Japan External Trade Organization)所提供的最近一次全年数据显示，2006年日本从中国进口的食品达到80亿美元，较2001年上升了35%。

    日本消费者已经见证过一系列涉及中国受污染食品的卫生问题。2002年，日本在发现中国进口速冻菠菜中杀虫剂“毒死蜱”超标后就加强了对中国蔬菜的检查。去年中国产鳝鱼和鲭鱼也被查出含有消毒剂，更是加剧了消费者的恐慌。

    分析师认为，问题饺子可能会影响日本从中国进口食品，至少在一段时间内会如此。瑞穗证券(Mizuho Securities Co.)的食品行业分析师Hiroshi Saji说：“日本媒体对此紧追不放，造成的恐慌可能从总体上损害中国的食品进口。”

    去年，位于东京的日本烟草(Japan Tobacco Inc.)旗下一间公司进口了这些饺子。日本的家长们经常会在午餐便当中给孩子们带饺子。今年年初，日本烟草接到报告说，消费者因食用这些饺子而病倒。该公司将派检查员赴中国。

    日本烟草发言人Shoko Hamamoto说：“我们会尽快弄清事实真相。首先要搞清楚中国的生产厂家是不是有什么问题。”

    广告中国的食品安全监察机构表示，也在对河北的厂家进行调查，这家工厂专门为日本市场生产食品。据称初步的调查没有发现杀虫剂的任何迹象。
中国监管部门称，他们已经下令召回这间工厂生产的饺子，包括正在出口途中的产品。主管食品安全的王大宁（音）对记者表示，中国也向日本派出了一个调查组。

    王大宁说，我们高度重视这个问题，会像对待家人一样对待日本消费者。

    对安全问题的担忧也会促使日本进一步加强本已十分严格的进口食品检查。2006年，日本在一批小牛肉中发现不应有的碎骨之后就暂停了美国牛肉的进口