From TBS News (9/6/2011):
ＪＴ＝日本たばこ産業は、これから収穫を迎える「葉たばこ」について放射性物質の検査を行い、「問題ない」とする結果を公表しました。
JT (Japan Tobacco Inc.) announced the result of the survey of leaf tobacco for radioactive materials and said "there is no problem". The harvest season for leaf tobacco will start soon.
ＪＴは、１０月から本格化する葉たばこの収穫を前に、休耕中の福島を除く茨城・栃木・千葉それに静岡の４つの県で、「黄色種」という乾燥済みの葉たばこについて放射性物質の検査を行ないました。
The harvest season for leaf tobacco will start in October in earnest. JT conducted the survey of one type of leaf tobacco, dried, in 4 prefectures (Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba, and Shizuoka). Fukushima Prefecture was excluded as no leaf tobacco is grown this year.
それによりますと、すべての検体で放射性ヨウ素は検出限界を下回りましたが、放射性セシウムが最高で１キログラムあたり２１７ベクレル検出されたということです。
According to the survey, radioactive iodine in all samples was below the detection level. However, the maximum 217 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was found.
葉たばこには国による規制値が定められていませんが、ＪＴではこの結果について、野菜などに適応される暫定規制値の１キログラムあたり５００ベクレルを下回っているため「問題はない」と説明してます。ＪＴでは、今後ほかの種類の葉たばこについてもサンプリング検査を実施する方針です。
There is no safety limit for the leaf tobacco. However, JT explained the level of radioactive cesium as "not a problem" because it was below the provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg for vegetables. JT is going to conduct a sample monitoring of other types of leaf tobacco.
According to the press release by JT, no radioactive cesium was detected in leaf tobacco grown in Shizuoka Prefecture. But of 33 samples in the other 3 prefectures, 27 samples were found with radioactive cesium from the lowest 21 to the highest 217 becquerels/kg (both in Ibaraki).
JT says it will not purchase or use leaf tobacco that exceeds the provisional safety limit for vegetables (as there is no safety limit for leaf tobacco). In other words, all leaf tobacco that's been tested is good to be purchased and made into cigarettes and sold by JT.
JT was a government corporation, and the national government still owns 50.02% of the company. In exchange for the obligation to purchase all leaf tobacco grown in Japan, it is granted the monopoly of manufacturing cigarettes in Japan. It is very active in exporting the cigarettes and is the 3rd largest cigarette company in the world after Philip Morris and British American Tobacco.