Beijing, Nov 4 - China says it has found toxic substances in imported Japanese soy sauce for the second time in less than a week, adding to a string of tit-for-tat accusations over food safety between the countries.
Food- and product-safety scandals have pummelled China in recent months, involving everything from toys and toothpaste to pet food and baby cribs.
Melamine in Chinese-made milk formula has killed four infants and made tens of thousands sick.
China conducted tests on exported frozen beans last month after Japan said they contained pesticide -- and said it found nothing amiss.
Earlier this year, China-made dumplings also tainted with pesticide made several Japanese ill, but a joint investigation failed to reveal how the contamination occurred.
Quarantine officials in Tianjin, east of Beijing, now say they have found arsenic five times beyond acceptable amounts in a Japanese brand of soy sauce, the country's quality watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday.
The officials' tests also found Japan-produced coffee to contain excessive amounts of "copper", the statement said, adding that the products never hit shelves and were ordered destroyed.
Quarantine officials in southern China last week said they had found Japan-produced soy sauce and mustard sauce tainted with toluene and acetic ester, chemicals used in paint.